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Markets, Cryptos and Biz

December 2025

Dec 30

Sydney, Australia to Wall St, New York

Digital Bush Telegraph

Markets

ASX 200 futures pointing down 6 points/0.1% to 8711

AUD -0.3% to US66.93¢

Bitcoin $87,218.84 -0.73%

Wall St:
Dow -0.5%
S&P -0.4%
Nasdaq -0.5%
VIX +0.59 to 14.19

Gold -4.4% to $US4335.01 an ounce
Silver -6.8% to $US71.94/oz
Platinum -13.8% to $US2118.03/oz
Brent oil +1.8% to $US61.75 a barrel
Iron ore +1.3% to $US106.05 a tonne

10-year yield: US 4.11% Australia 4.75%

Cryptos

Bitcoin $87,218.84 -0.73%
XRP $1.8529 -0.70%
BNB $852.81 -0.71%
Dogecoin $0.1231 -0.64%

Stockmarket

US Stock Market Overview (as of late December 2025)

The US stock market is in a strong bull run heading into the final days of 2025, with major indices near all-time highs and on track for a robust year-end close. Trading volume has been light post-holidays, but sentiment remains positive amid resilient economic growth, AI-driven gains, and expectations of a "Santa Claus rally" (the seasonal uptrend in the last five trading days of the year and first two of the next).

Key Index Levels (from the most recent close on December 26, 2025)

S&P 500 — Closed at approximately 6,930 (down slightly that day but hit an intraday high near 6,946). Up nearly 18% year-to-date, with the index eyeing the psychological 7,000 milestone in the coming sessions.

Dow Jones Industrial Average — Closed at around 48,711 (fractionally lower), up solidly for the year.

Nasdaq Composite — Closed near 23,593, up about 22% YTD, led by tech and AI stocks

Markets were closed on December 27 (weekend) and reopen on December 29 for the last few trading days of 2025. Expect thin liquidity and potential for modest moves as investors position for 2026.

Broader Context

2025 has been a resilient year despite challenges like early tariff impacts, AI spending concerns, and Fed rate adjustments (benchmark now at 3.50%-3.75%). Tech and AI names (e.g., Nvidia crossing $5T market cap) have dominated, but there's been rotation into cyclicals, materials, and foreign equities. Precious metals like gold and silver are at historic highs amid safe-haven demand.

Wall Street forecasts for 2026 are bullish, with many targeting S&P 500 levels between 7,100–8,100. However, history suggests potential pullbacks after strong years, so caution on overvaluation is advised. (Grok)

News

Dec 24

Precious metals rewarded for success

The US dollar is falling as a safe-haven asset amid growing risk appetite.

Gold is performing well, but other assets in the sector are looking even better.

GDP growth of 4.3% in the third quarter did not help the US dollar. It would seem that the strength of the economy, the rise in Treasury bond yields and the decline in the likelihood of the Fed easing monetary policy in March to less than 50% should have cooled the hot heads of the EURUSD bulls. However, greed reigns supreme in the financial markets.

The S&P 500 closed at a record high, which had a negative impact on the USD index.

Donald Trump was encouraged by the success of the US economy, citing tariffs as the main reason. The president said that the new Fed chairman would cut rates if the market was performing well. Investors should be rewarded for their success. Support from the White House is helping US stock indices, improving global risk appetite and reducing demand for the dollar as a safe-haven asset. In such conditions, high-yield currencies feel most at home.

The British pound reached a three-month high against the greenback, and the Australian dollar reached a 14-month high. After the Reserve Bank signalled the end of the monetary policy easing cycle, the futures market began to price in expectations of a cash rate hike in 2026.

By Christmas, the start date for monetary tightening had shifted to June, which created a tailwind for AUDUSD.

Investors in a Bloomberg survey see the Bank of England's neutral rate at 3.25% and estimate the chances of it falling to 3% in 2026 as fifty-fifty. They are more dovish than the BoE. At their December meeting, Andrew Bailey and his colleagues opted for caution, which supported GBPUSD. Meanwhile, gold has broken through the psychologically important level of $4,500 per ounce.

JP Morgan forecasts XAUUSD to rise to 5,000 by the end of 2026 and estimates the scale of bullion purchases by central banks and retail investors at 585 tonnes per quarter. According to the bank, every 100 tonnes above the base 350 tonnes leads to a 2% increase in precious metal prices.

Gold has already gained more than 70% in value in 2025 and is heading for its best performance since 1979.

Other assets in the precious metals sector are growing even faster. Prices for silver, platinum and palladium have more than doubled this year. Along with strong investment demand, fears about the introduction of US import duties are playing into their hands. (FxPro)

News

Dec 29

A confident Euro and a vulnerable Yen

Rapid GDP growth in the eurozone has helped EURUSD.

USDJPY risks rising to 164. Christmas week turned out to be the worst for the US dollar since June. Falling Treasury yields and new S&P 500 records caused the USD index to retreat. The chances of the Fed easing monetary policy in March rose above 50% again, and there is active discussion in Forex about the new Fed chair. Historically, central bank chiefs have had a significant influence on the FOMC. Donald Trump's man could bring down interest rates and the greenback. However, the Fed is not a one-man show. Decisions are made collectively based on incoming data. The longer the pause in the monetary expansion cycle lasts, the higher the chances of a correction in the EURUSD to an upward trend. In this case, the yield differential between US and German bonds will remain wide. Money will flow from Europe to the United States, strengthening the dollar. In the medium term, monetary policy divergence and a narrowing gap in GDP growth could play in favour of the euro. Financial Times experts expect the eurozone economy to expand by 1.2% in 2026 and 1.4% in 2027. In 2025, it will grow by 1.4%, significantly more than the 0.9% forecast at the end of 2024. Faster economic growth in the currency bloc has been one of the key drivers of the EURUSD's 13.5% rally this year. Another trump card for the euro has been the divergence in monetary policy. Financial Times experts believe that the ECB's deposit rate will remain at 2% until the end of 2026 and rise to 2.25% in 2027. The futures market expects two acts of monetary expansion from the Fed next year. The narrowing of the spread between US and German bond yields is a strong argument in favour of maintaining the upward trend in EURUSD. Meanwhile, the number of yen bears is growing after the Bank of Japan failed to bring about a serious correction in USDJPY by raising the overnight rate in December. BNP Paribas forecasts the pair to rise to 160 by the end of 2026, while JP Morgan forecasts 164. The strengthening of the greenback has caused gold to retreat from record highs. The precious metal is heading for its best annual performance since 1979. Since the beginning of the year, it has risen by more than 70%, partly due to capital inflows into ETFs. The reserves of the largest specialised exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Shares, have increased by more than 20%.

News

Dec 29

Miners and Metals

Nickel price jumps as Indonesia signals big production cut

Nickel prices are at a seven-month high after Indonesia, the world’s biggest producer, signalled plans to cut supply of the metal in a Christmas gift for struggling Australian miners who have been shuttering projects.

The rising prices came after Indonesian media reported Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia had confirmed plans for unspecified production cuts. A group representing Indonesian nickel miners this month said it expected Jakarta to enforce a 34 per cent cut in volumes next year.

While the size of the cuts has not been finalised, the comments suggest the worst could be over for miners after a two-and-a-half year period in which prices for the metal were crushed by excess production in Indonesia.

Nickel was a fashionable commodity for investors between 2017 and 2022 on expectations that demand would rise in line with the metal’s use in the batteries used in electric vehicles. Prices reached $US30,000 a tonne in late 2022, but a wave of Indonesian supply emerged in 2023 as new technology allowed low-grade material to be cheaply processed into top quality metal.

The extra supply pushed nickel prices below $US20,000 since mid-2023, forcing Australian miners like BHP and Panoramic Resources to mothball their Western Australian mines, refineries and smelters.

The price had slumped to $US14,110 a tonne at the London Metal Exchange on December 16, but has rallied to $US15,430 after reports of Indonesian production cuts. The price had not been above $US15,400 since May.

The recovery could help BHP’s nickel assets just 14 months before a self-imposed deadline to decide whether they should be permanently closed. BHP mothballed the assets last year in the belief the supply surge was a structural change to nickel markets, and not merely a cyclical one.

BHP announced at its August half-year results that it would attempt to sell the assets, but finding a buyer has proved difficult given the enormous rehabilitation obligations attached to them. If a buyer cannot be found, BHP will permanently shut the nickel division in February 2027.

Another potential winner from a nickel price recovery would be businessman Duncan Saville, whose companies control the mothballed Savannah mine in WA. The mine closures have seen Australian exports slump from about 180,000 tonnes in 2017 to 81,000 tonnes this year.

The Industry Department provided a gloomy outlook for the sector in a report published on December 19, predicting prices would stay low, and export volumes would fall further as IGO Limited prepared for the Nova-Bollinger nickel mine in WA to reach the end of its working life.

Closure of Nova would leave Glencore’s Murrin Murrin operation as the last remaining major nickel mine in the country.

Industry Department economists predicted Australia will ship just 49,000 tonnes of nickel in 2027; down 73 per cent in a decade.

Batteries account for about 16 per cent of global nickel demand, with the stainless-steel sector still buying about 63 per cent of the world’s nickel.

Fitch predicts nickel prices will average $US16,000 a tonne in 2026.

Silver continues to soar

Signs of recovery in nickel prices come as silver prices have soared. The precious metal was fetching $US28.83 an ounce on the final trading day of 2024, but soared to a record high $US79.27 on Boxing Day 2025.

Financial markets have traditionally used gold prices to determine an appropriate price for silver, and the rally in silver prices is partly linked to the earlier rally in gold prices over the last 12 months.

Very few mines are primarily focused on silver production, with the metal typically occurring as a byproduct at mines that are focused on copper, zinc or lead. Australia’s biggest silver producers include South32’s Cannington mine in Queensland, Glencore’s Mount Isa hub and BHP’s Olympic Dam.

Iltani Resources, an ASX-listed miner exploring for silver, zinc, lead and indium near Herberton in Queensland, is one producer that has seen its share price jump more than 200 per cent alongside the silver rally.

“It puts us in a really good position to hit 2026 with a really aggressive drill program,” said Iltani managing director Donald Garner. (AFR). *Full article and coverage via The Australian Financial Review

News

VC/Sports Biz/Tech News

Jake & Logan Paul Announce $30M Venture Fund Backing AI, Robotics Startups

Anti Fund, co-founded by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and entrepreneur Geoffrey Woo, closed its oversubscribed $30 million Anti Fund I on December 3, bringing the firm’s total assets under management to more than $65 million. The firm named influencer and WWE star Logan Paul as a general partner, marking the first time the Paul brothers have become business partners.

According to a press release, the venture capital firm concentrates its investments in artificial intelligence and robotics companies. Anti Fund focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage ventures, as well as select growth-stage industry leaders. The portfolio includes OpenAI, Anduril, Ramp, Cognition, Polymarket, Flock Safety, and Physical Intelligence.

Investment Strategy

Anti Fund employs what it calls an “extreme barbell strategy,” making first checks of $100,000 to $500,000 for 10% ownership in technical founders, while also deploying $10 million or more in growth investments into industry leaders.

The fund’s limited partners include institutional investors Aquarian Holdings and Autilus Partners, as well as individual investors Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon. Focuspoint Private Capital Group served as the exclusive placement agent for the fund.

Founder Background
Woo holds a bachelor’s degree with honors and distinction in computer science from Stanford and has co-authored numerous U.S. patents and peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Jake Paul built his career as a professional boxer and entrepreneur. Logan Paul founded PRIME, a beverage brand, and performs as a professional wrestler.

“Jake, what I realized is that he is essentially an avatar of the American dream, and I think Logan, in a very similar parallel sense, also represents that,” Woo said in an interview with FOX Business.

“When Jake named Anti Fund, I think we all share the same belief, that the people that create the future are the crazy ones that believe they can do it.”

Business Philosophy
The firm positions itself as founder-friendly, emphasizing what it calls the intersection of capital and attention. While capital remains a commodity, Anti Fund leverages the Paul brothers’ cultural influence to source founders and accelerate portfolio company growth.

Jake Paul discussed his long-standing interest in venture capital, noting he met with companies including Google, Uber, and Twitter in Silicon Valley as a teenager.“

Not only are we investors, but we can disrupt Logan with PRIME, me with W, Betr is always in the top five in the App Store is absolutely crushing it,” Paul told FOX.

“And these are companies that we’ve incubated ourselves, because if no one else is building it and we see a hole in the market, we can hire the best teams and grow and scale these companies in a major way.”

Anti Fund has incubated and funded several of Jake Paul’s business ventures, including W and Betr Media.

Rudy Sahay, founder and managing partner of Aquarian Holdings, said the fund closing “validates the confidence investors have in their strategy” and noted the firm “carved out a unique position at the intersection of frontier technologies and culture.”

Best Quotes

Cryptocurrency, Finance and World

"Volatility is Satoshi’s gift to the faithful." - Michael Saylor

"Bitcoin is a tool for freeing humanity from oligarchs and tyrants, dressed up as a get-rich-quick scheme." — Naval Ravikant

"We have elected to put our money and faith in a mathematical framework that is free of politics and human error." — Tyler Winklevoss

"You can't stop things like Bitcoin. It will be everywhere, and the world will have to readjust. World governments will have to readjust." — John McAfee

"Bitcoin is the most important invention in the history of the world since the Internet." — Roger Ver

"Cryptocurrency is such a powerful concept that it can almost overturn governments." — Charles Lee

"In the future, national currencies will become obsolete. Bitcoin will become the single global currency." — Jack Dorsey

"The future of finance is crypto, whether it’s in payments, contracts, or savings." — Changpeng Zhao

"Crypto offers freedom to the unbanked and hope to the underprivileged." — Elizabeth Stark

"The new frontier of innovation is in decentralization. Blockchain leads the charge." — Don Tapscott

"Digital currency is here to stay, and it’s only a matter of how long before governments embrace it." — Brad Garlinghouse

Pop Culture

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Santa vs Grinch
Bulls vs Bears
Crypto King vs Mr World Bank
Citizens vs NWO
Neo vs Agent Smith
John McAfee vs You Know Who!
TKO vs Naysayers
Jake Paul, Polymarket and BETR vs Naysayers
Pro Boxing vs Newspaper Reports
VKM vs The World
Paul Bros vs Mainstream Wokes
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky

News

Media Man Favs

TKO $216.11 -1.33 -0.61%
Alphabet Inc Class A $313.56 +0.050 +0.016%
Netflix Inc $94.15 -0.32 -0.34%
Paramount Skydance Corp $13.50 -0.090 -0.66%
Porsche Automobile Holding SE Unsponsored Germany ADR $4.60 -0.040 +0.86%
Mercedes Benz Group ADR $17.54 +0.11 +0.63%

Markets, Cryptos and Pop Culture

Culture In Biz Edition

December To Remember

Dec 10

Cryptos Struggling; All That Glitters. TKO To Naysayers!
World Streaming Wars
Online Media vs Legacy Media: Disruptors
Media Pop Culture Theme: "Another Brick In The Wall" aka "We Don't Need No Education" (Pink Floyd)
"Schools Out" (Alice Cooper)
Silicon Valley theme: "Stretch Your Face" (Tobacco)
"The Social Network" (score album for film)
"Hall of Fame" (The Script)
"Eight Days a Week" (The Beatles)
"The Wolf of Wall Street" ("Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (Cannonball Adderley)

December 10, 2025

Sin City Sydney, Australia

Australian dollar +0.21% to 66.39 US cents

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +0.04%
Dow Jones -0.26%
Nasdaq +.28%

Europe:
Stoxx 50 -0.13%
FTSE -0.03%
DAX -1.1%
CAC +0.49%

Bitcoin $92,341.80 +2.12%

Gold +0.42% to $US4208.41 per ounce
US oil -1.12 to $US58.22 a barrel
Brent crude oil -0.9% to $US61.93 a barrel
Iron ore -0.79% to $US106.42 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.18%
Australia 4.75%
Germany 2.85%

Bitcoin

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $92,341.80 +2.12%

Ethereum $3,317.79 +6.32%

XRP $2.0989 +1.18%

News Update: (Near Live)

News

New York/Wall St via Mr Wolf!
December To Remember!

Dec 9
After The Bell; Bells To Be Rung

NYC!

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Cryptos shining up a little!

Bitcoin $92,572.31 +2.38%

Market ups and downs! Mood: Medium: Still picking up. Play the long game?! Hardcores keep dream, as always!

Media Man Favs:

(Near Live)

Bells Rung by Mr Wolf! TKO hulks up! Christmas Grinch vs Santa. Miners on hunt. Gamers full speed instead of socials.. Tech heads grapplers watch streaming wars! NYSE Bell Ringers With Trees! Prep for new Season's Beatings! TKO kicks out heading towards Saturday Night's Main Event

Wall St, New York

TKO Group Holdings Inc $197.11 -6.71 -3.29%
NVIDIA Corp $184.97 -0.60 -0.33%
Formula One Group Series $85.13 +1.63 +1.95%
Alphabet Inc Class A $317.08 +3.36 +1.07%
News Corp Class A $25.95 +0.22 +0.86%
Netflix Inc $96.71 -0.11 -0.11%
Caterpillar Inc $594.36 -2.14 -0.36%
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp $11.30 +0.20 +1.80%
Tesla Inc $445.26 +5.68 +1.29%
Walt Disney Co $107.02 -0.61 -0.57%
Wynn Resorts Ltd $124.22 -2.91 -2.29%
Meta Platforms Inc $656.96 -9.84 -1.48%
Elders ADR $19.73 (US) (NYSE)
Mercedes Benz Group ADR $17.71 -0.100 -0.56%
Rio Tinto Ltd $90.58 (US)
Paramount Skydance Corp $14.64 +0.070 +0.48%
Red Light Holland Corp $0.018 -0.00028 -1.53%
Volvo ADR (parent/owner of Muck Trucks) $30.89 -0.53 -1.69%
Porsche Automobile Holding SE Unsponsored Germany ADR $4.72 +0.020 +0.43%
Microsoft $492.02 +1.00 +0.20%

News

Crypto market awaits the final battle of the year

Market Overview

The crypto market lost just over 1% in 24 hours to $3.08T, falling back to the consolidation levels of late November. Attempts to shake up the market at the beginning of this month were unsuccessful for both bulls and bears. Excluding this impulse, the market has been treading water for almost two weeks, hovering around the 23.6% correction rebound line from the October-November decline. Such a shallow rebound could be a sign of a strong bear market, but this will only be confirmed if November's lows of $2.73T are updated.

Bitcoin is trading near $90K, having crossed this level for the fifth consecutive day. An upward trend line can be drawn through the lows of late November, but BTC is now trading dangerously close to this line. At the same time, horizontal resistance has formed in the $92K area, bringing the positions of bulls and bears closer together over time and promising a decisive battle by the end of this week. It could not only be the last significant battle of the year but also determine the trend for the coming months.

News Background

Short positions on Bitcoin have recorded their largest outflow since March 2025, when the price of BTC was near its lows. Investors likely believe that the current surge in negative sentiment has bottomed out, according to CoinShares.

According to Glassnode, the reserves of long-term Bitcoin holders fell to a cyclical low in November. This marks the end of the spot sell-offs that have hindered market growth throughout 2025.

Ethereum exchange reserves have fallen to record lows, which could signal an imminent supply crisis, according to CryptoQuant. Since July 2025, the indicator has fallen by about 20%.

The largest American investment company, BlackRock, has applied with the SEC to register an ETF that will allow investors to earn income from staking Ethereum without directly owning the cryptocurrency.

Strategy has increased its weekly Bitcoin purchases to their highest level since July. The company bought 10,624 BTC ($963 million) last week at an average price of $90,615 per coin. Strategy now owns 660,624 BTC, purchased for $49.3 billion at an average price of $74,696 per Bitcoin. (FxPro)

News

Streaming Wars: Netflix vs Paramount (for Warner Bros) aka WBD. What's Up Doc?!

Paramount makes hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

Dec 9

Paramount Skydance has directly approached Warner Bros Discovery's shareholders with a takeover offer; it has opted to bypass the rival media group's board, contending that Warner's directors have backed an "inferior proposal". Paramount has proposed a cash offer of $US30 per share, valuing its bid for the entire company at about $US108bn. It is seeking to trump Netflix's deal to acquire some of Warner's assets for around $US83bn, which has been approved by the boards of both companies. Warner has rejected Paramount's claims that its sale process had favoured a single bidder.
*Developing news story "The Streaming Wars"

News

Australia - USA Connection

Praise for Trump's review of AUKUS

Defence Minister Richard Marles says the federal government is currently "working through" the Trump administration's now-completed review of the AUKUS alliance. He adds that the US is "completely supportive" of the deal to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. The review was headed by US defence official Elbridge Colby, who has been a notable critic of AUKUS in the past. The AUKUS alliance is likely to be a key focus when Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong hold the annual AUSMIN talks with US counterparts Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio in Washington DC next week.

News

24 hours ago

The crypto market tries to form an uptrend

Market Overview

The crypto market soared by almost 7% over the past day, reaching a capitalisation of $3.15T and forming a higher local peak compared to Sunday. The mood on the crypto market was buoyed by moves from institutional giants Vanguard and Bank of America to open access to digital assets for their clients. Combined with the fact that the low point on December 1st is higher than the lows on November 21st, we are seeing a series of vital signs of an upward trend forming. However, a conservative view suggests that fluctuations below $3.38T are a correction from the previous decline.

Bitcoin approached $94K on Wednesday morning, recovering half of its losses from the sell-off between November 11th and 21st. Considering the entire decline from its October peak, BTCUSD remains trading below $ 98K as part of the correction. The $98-100K range contains three psychologically significant levels: the 50-day average, early November support, and 61.8% of the decline from the peak. Consolidation above this level could convince buyers that crypto winter has not arrived.

News Background

Vanguard, the world's second-largest investment company by assets, will open access to crypto ETF trading for its clients on December 2nd. The company had previously stated that it would avoid Bitcoin funds because cryptocurrency is an “immature asset class” and does not fit with the company's philosophy.

Bank of America, one of the largest banks in the United States, has recommended that its institutional clients allocate 1% to 4% of their portfolios to cryptocurrencies. Previously, investors were unable to access cryptocurrencies because advisors were prohibited from recommending such instruments.

The four-year cycle theory has ceased to work, so Bitcoin has a chance to reach new highs in 2026, according to Grayscale. Analysts believe there are already some signs that Bitcoin has likely bottomed out.

News (from Friday: Sydney)

ASX up as tech stocks rally, WiseTech gains

The Australian sharemarket posted a modest gain on Thursday, with lower trading volumes ahead of Wall Street's closure for Thanksgiving Day; the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.1 per cent to close at 8,617.3 points. WiseTech Global was up 6.9 per cent at $69.72, Bellevue Gold rose 3.2 per cent to $1.29 and Reece advanced four per cent to $12.73. However, DroneShield was down 7.8 per cent at $2 and Santos fell 1.8 per cent to end the session at $6.44. (RMS)

News

The Dollar's new edge: from shield to sword

The dollar is losing its safe-haven status. • The scale of the Fed's rate cuts has been overestimated. • The yen is the main favourite for 2026.

BoJ may not raise rates until March. If the US dollar was previously a shield, it is now turning into a sword. (FxPro)

News

Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series; Crack The Code!

Million Dollar Man vs IRS
Michael Wall Street vs Billionaire Ted
Mr X vs Mr BTC
Mr Green vs Mr Cash
VKM vs Easy E
Vinnie Vegas vs Mr Corbin
Mr Corp Merch vs Mr Freelance
Masked Superstar vs John McAfee
Sid Justice vs Mr Blood Diamond
Mr Bluey Chipper vs Street Fighter - King Of The Streets Mr Dotcom vs Mr Wiki
Mr Gold vs Mr Green - Money In The Bank Ladder Match Khan vs Khan - Winner Take All Match
Mr Wolff vs The Cleaner
Mr News vs Mr Vice - U.S Market Footprint Stipulation Mr Paramount vs Mr Netflix
Mr ESPN vs Mr Fox
Mr Kross vs Mr Cardona
Cesaro vs Rollins
Dirty Dom vs Mr AAA
Punks vs Egos
Kross vs H
Murdoch Title vs Title
Mr Black Coffee vs Mr Claudio's Cafe Blend
Mr Warner vs Mr Netflix: Broadway draw thus far! Re-match! Winner take all?!
TMZ vs Riddle
UFC vs PFL
The Oracle vs Cincinnati, Ohio
Mr X vs Hollyweird
Succession vs Billions
Mouse House vs Art House
NFL vs UFL
ABC vs Mainstream Aussies
Reigns vs Blanka
Cody Rhodes vs Joe
E. Honda vs NJPW
Capcom vs Warner
Cena vs ACME
Combat Sports Players vs Father Time
NXT vs TNA Wrestling (Showdown, not Invasion)!
Alpha vs Meta
TED X vs The Others
WWE's Solo vs NYC and Western Australia
UFC Predator vs MMA Predator
UFC Legal vs UFC Bad Egg Betting Disruptors
Bulls vs Bears
Logan Paul vs WWE babyfaces
Santa's Helper vs Grinch
John McAfee vs FBI + + +, Running .... Netflix Wins again!
Killer Kross vs Matt Riddle - Shoot Fight/Wrestling (MLW)! Holliday working web?! Most Marketable?!
VKM vs Numerous!
MLW vs The World
The Big Event vs US Promoters
Storm vs WWE Locker Room. Lash Legend on side!
NXT Gold Rush: Page & Green vs Hendry & Hail
Baszler vs Itoh - HOG Superclash - Nov 15
MSG, NY winning with WWE and UFC in Nov
The Vision vs WWE Lockerroom
John Cena vs Dirty Dom
Miz vs Management
Jericho vs Internet Marks
Mr Gold vs Mr Fool's Gold
Neo vs Mr Smith
PBR vs Others. No Bull?!
Aus Gvt vs Big Tech
Banks vs Cryptos
NVIDIA vs World
White House vs Wokes
Packer vs Devil D
Lucha Bros vs AAA Heels
WWE Black Scorpion/Masked Man vs Babyfaces
CM Punk vs The Hood
Starks vs Oba Femi - NXT Deadline
TNA Wrestling vs Dirtsheets
TKO vs Naysayers
John Cena vs Gunther: SNME
Chris Jericho and Mr X vs IWC
Mr Netflix vs Mr Paramount

News

Crypto Movies/Docos

The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
Follows early Bitcoin adopter Daniel Mross, exploring Bitcoin’s origins, its volatile rise, and the community behind it. Great for understanding Bitcoin’s early days and its potential to disrupt finance.

Banking on Bitcoin (2016)
Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots, and impact on global financial systems through interviews with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet (2020)
Directed by Torsten Hoffmann, this documentary dives into blockchain’s broader applications beyond cryptocurrency, addressing scalability and regulatory challenges. Ideal for those interested in blockchain’s transformative potential.

Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain (2018) Narrated by Rosario Dawson, it explores blockchain’s societal impact, from financial inclusion to voting systems. A comprehensive look at real-world applications.

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015)
Traces the history of money and introduces Bitcoin as a decentralized alternative, critiquing centralized financial systems. Features interviews with crypto experts.

Deep Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator, Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in dark web transactions.

Bitconned (2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing how three individuals defrauded investors during the 2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated markets.

Feature Films

Crypto (2019)
A crime thriller starring Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, and Kurt Russell. It follows a young anti-money laundering agent investigating corruption and cryptocurrency in his hometown. Critics note its exaggerated portrayal but praise its entertainment value.

Silk Road (2021)
A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin. It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and drama.

Dope (2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association with illicit activities.

Bonus Mentions

Life on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early adoption challenges.

Bitcoin Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.

Notes Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology, and real-world implications. They’re great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Feature films often dramatize crypto’s association with crime or scams, sometimes oversimplifying or exaggerating for effect. They prioritize entertainment over accuracy. For a deeper dive, check streaming platforms like Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or YouTube, where many of these are available.

News

Wall Street (Movie)
Wall Street (1987), directed by Oliver Stone, is a drama about ambition and greed in the 1980s financial world. It follows Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker desperate to succeed, who gets entangled with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a ruthless corporate raider. Gekko’s mantra, “Greed is good,” drives the story as Bud is lured into insider trading and unethical deals, compromising his morals for wealth and power.

The film explores themes of capitalism, loyalty, and betrayal, with Bud navigating pressures from Gekko, his father (Martin Sheen), and his own conscience.

Key Details: Cast: Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Martin Sheen (Carl Fox).
Runtime: 2h 6m.
Genre: Drama/Crime.
Rating: R. Box Office: ~$44 million (US).

Awards: Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Notable Aspects:

Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting 1980s excess. Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.

A sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued the story.

Where to Watch (as of 2025):
Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current availability).
Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.

News

Best Quotes

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

"Bottoms in the investment world don't end with four-year lows; they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim Rogers

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

Media Man "Bullish is a mindset"

Markets, Crypto and Culture

Running Of The Bulls To Normal; Cryptos Hurting; All That Glitters ...

October 15/16, 2025

Sin City Sydney, Australia

ASX futures up 5 points/0.1%, at 9024

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +0.4%
Dow Jones: flat
Nasdaq +0.7%

Europe: Stoxx 50 +1%
FTSE -0.3%
DAX -0.2%
CAC +2%

Australian dollar: US65.06 cents

Bitcoin -1.6% to $US111,106

Gold +1.5% to $US4227.10 per ounce

Oil +0.1% to $US58.78 a barrel

Brent crude oil +0.1% to $US62.45 a barrel

Iron ore -0.3% to $US104.90 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.03%
Australia 4.21%
Germany 2.57%

News Update: (Near Live)

Bitcoin:

New York/Wall St

Cryptos Today: (Near Live) Mood: Corrective! Salt Into The Wound In Checkers?! Or Salt Of The Earth In Metals Right Chess Move?! All That Glitters Not Digital Gold?!

Bitcoin $111,291.65 -1.77%
Ethereum $3,980.33 -3.44%
Tether $1.0005 -0.03%
Binance Coin $1,161.17 -3.98%
XRP $2.4129 -3.48%
Solana $194.13 -3.71%
TRON $0.3194 +0.85%
Dogecoin -$0.1961 -4.15%
Cardano $0.6677 -4.14%

Market corrective. Mood: Somber-like for many! Suspicious! Regaining smiles! Hardcores keep the dream!

Media Man Favs:

October 15, 2025 (Near Live)
Wall St, New York

TKO Group Holdings Inc $191.21 +1.18 +0.62%
NVIDIA Corp $179.83 -0.18 -0.099%
Formula One Group Series C $103.57 -0.15 -0.14%
Alphabet Inc Class A $251.03 +5.58 +2.27%
News Corp Class A $26.57 -0.070 -0.26%
Netflix Inc $1,203.29 -12.06 -0.99%
Caterpillar Inc $534.05 +6.58 +1.25%
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp $16.27
-0.010 -0.061%
Tesla Inc $435.15 +5.91 +1.38%
Walt Disney Co $111.71 +0.54 +0.49%
Wynn Resorts Ltd $118.07 +1.96 +1.69%
Meta Platforms Inc $717.55 +8.90 +1.26%
BHP Group Ltd $43.54
Mercedes Benz Group ADR $15.15 +0.040 +0.26%
Elders Ltd $7.50
Rio Tinto Ltd $129.69

News

The dollar prefers to stay within the range for now

The US dollar turned downward at the end of the day on Tuesday and continues to move downward in the first half of Wednesday. The dollar is being weighed down by the recovery of positive momentum in the stock markets. Pressure on the dollar can also be linked to Powell's latest comments yesterday evening. The Fed chairman confirmed the path to further rate cuts and said asset sales from the balance sheet could be halted soon, ending the quantitative tightening phase. To be cont ..

(FxPro)

News

The US stock market rebound may falter

US stock index futures are rising after a disastrous Friday, when Trump's aggressive response to China's tariffs shook the markets. The US president's announcements were carefully timed, with the most aggressive measures (additional 100% tariffs on Chinese goods) announced after the market closed.

Over the weekend, US and Chinese leaders appeared to reach out to each other, offering opportunities for further discussion and a deal. Market sentiment was close to extreme fear, with the Fear and Greed Index falling to 29 on Friday and recovering to 30 on Monday. These are the lowest values since the end of April, when the market was recovering from the “liberation day” effect on Trump's tariffs. In the last couple of years, this index has entered the extreme fear zone before we saw a reversal in the indices. This means that bears may exert another round of pressure on the markets. It is easy to link this to further toughening of mutual rhetoric between China and the US, albeit with the possibility of dialogue remaining open. In other words, in this case, it is worth talking about a decrease in the intensity of mutual recriminations, but not about a reversal in relations. From this, we can conclude that the risks that caused the markets to collapse on Friday remain. We also note that the S&P 500 is trading at a significant distance from its 200-week moving average, near which the market has ended its declines over the past 14 years since 2011, touching it or turning around within 2-5% of it. This contrasts sharply with the current situation, where the S&P 500 is almost 25% above this line. If we talk about a correction within a bull market, then the target for bears seems to be the 6100–6150 range, where the 50-week moving average and last winter's highs are concentrated. Movement in this direction looks like a viable strategy for the final quarter of the year, unless there is a real reversal in the rapprochement between China and the US, which we highly doubt. In addition, seasonal factors are also temporarily on the side of the bears, given the more than 40% growth from the lows of the year in early April, the suppressed volatility of the last month and a half, and the tendency to look for new patterns in the markets in the final months of the year. If that's not enough, add to this the fact that the economy is beginning to feel the effects of tariff wars and a deteriorating labour market, and AI is no longer a novelty. In these conditions, it will be increasingly difficult for traders to find reasons for local purchases. (FxPro)

News

Crypto market recovers from tariff shock

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation stood at $3.9 trillion on Monday, up 4.4% from the previous day but down 6% from pre-Friday crash levels. On Friday, the US stock market saw its biggest drop since April but recovered some of its losses on Monday. Since Sunday, the crypto market has been attempting to rebound after a sell-off that began as an emotional reaction to tariff initiatives by China and the US but escalated into massive margin calls and stop orders being triggered.

The sentiment index stood at 38 (fear) on Monday morning, down from 24 (extreme fear) the day before. The level of sentiment we saw over the weekend was last seen in April under similar circumstances — when tough trade tariffs were announced.

Bitcoin approached $115K on Monday, while Ethereum exceeded $4,200. Cryptocurrencies are recovering after Friday's sharp decline. The movement on Friday and in the early hours of Saturday swept the ‘weak hands’ out of the market, taking the price of BTC below the 50—and 200-day moving averages and below the August and September lows.

Such sweeping liquidations often set the bottom of the market, but it may take time for the wounds to heal. In 2020, 2021 and 2024, it took a couple of weeks for the rally to start, although the market did not rewrite the lows. But in 2022, the turnaround to growth after the crash began after about six months. Relying on these statistics is encouraging for bargain hunters in crypto. Still, it would be too hasty to say that the recovery will be just as quick and will begin immediately.

News Background

Wall Street crashed on Friday after US President Donald Trump escalated the trade conflict with China following Beijing's tightening of restrictions on trade in rare earth metals, Reuters reports. Cryptocurrencies and stock indices fell sharply on Friday. Some softening of tone from Trump and Xi has led to the probability of 100% tariffs against China by 1 November being estimated at 8% on Polymarket, down from 26% at the end of Friday. Santiment notes that bitcoin remains extremely sensitive to risk appetite and behaves more like a risky asset than a safe haven.

The Kobeissi Letter notes that the collapse of cryptocurrencies on 11 October will not have long-term fundamental consequences and was caused by a combination of technical factors. The market crash triggered a record cascade of liquidations worth $19.3 billion. Analyst Frank Fetter, citing technical indicators, said the cryptocurrency market is still far from overbought, which means there is still potential for the rally to continue.

News Flashback

Oil Holds Strong Despite Bearish Fundamentals

Weekly data from the EIA noted that the US returned to record oil production rates last week, supplying an average of 13.6 million barrels per day to the market, according to the latest EIA data. The trend towards increased supply began in August, but producers have only now returned to the peak levels recorded at the end of last year. Despite a 5.5-million-barrel increase in US commercial inventories over the past two weeks, inventories stay at the lower end of the range seen over the past decade, leaving considerable room for growth. The same can be said for the strategic reserve, which holds nearly 40% less oil than it did five years ago, before the start of the active sell-off. It is an interesting game in which, on the one hand, the US (the largest oil producer) is increasing supplies, while OPEC+ is increasing quotas on a monthly basis. This extremely bearish combination of factors did not cause oil prices to collapse; it was only because of global trade in currency depreciation that caused precious metals, stock indices, and cryptocurrencies to rise. Oil prices have not peaked in recent weeks .. To be cont .. (FxPro)

News

Gold hits new highs due to political turmoil

Gold is outside the realm of politics.

While currencies and securities depend on the actions of presidents and governments, precious metals do not. Therefore, political turmoil forces investors to use them as safe-haven assets.

The impressive 52% rally in gold started in April with the introduction of tariffs on America's Liberation Day. It continued due to the US government shutdown, the political crisis in France, and the change of leadership in Japan. he rise of gold above 4,000 dollars per ounce is not only the result of the weakness of fiat currencies. There are tectonic shifts in the structure of investment portfolios and fears of financial crises due to government recklessness.

The share of precious metals is growing both in speculators' assets and in the gold and foreign exchange reserves of central banks. The indicator has already exceeded the share of the euro. According to Eurizon Capital, if it equals the share of the US dollar, the price per ounce will soar to 8,500 dollars. The Supreme Court's abolition of tariffs will inflate the US budget deficit. France does not intend to reduce it, and Japan plans to increase bond issuance. All this creates a tailwind for commodity assets. (FxPro)

News

Politics remains the main driver of FX

The US government shutdown did not have a noticeable impact on the dollar's performance last week. However, it did help the stock market to grow slightly by strengthening expectations of monetary policy easing. However, these events pale in comparison to the change in Japan's ruling elite and the resignation of the French prime minister less than a day after the formation of the government in terms of their impact on the currency market. In Japan, Sanae Takaichi was chosen head of the Liberal Democratic Party over the weekend and is on track to become the country's first female prime minister. This event caused the yen to fall 2% to 150.49 from Friday's level before correcting to 149.80 at the time of writing. Takaichi is considered a supporter of aggressive government spending, structural reforms, and soft monetary policy, echoing the basic principles of Shinzo Abe. Overall, she has a more right-wing approach to national policy and is also a supporter of revising Japan's pacifist constitution. The market reaction clearly shows that they are considering Takaichi to be the new prime minister. If she does not change her political views (and she has softened them recently to win the party elections), we should be prepared for a further weakening of the yen, which reached its highest level since 1991 in the EURJPY pair, exceeding 176. However, the single currency is also facing uncertainty today due to a new political crisis in France. Prime Minister Lecornu, who had been trying to form a government for a month, resigned the day after he finally presented his new cabinet. His appointments drew criticism from both left-wing and right-wing allies. The EURUSD fell to 1.1650 at its lowest point on Monday, losing a full cent against Friday's levels. Unlike Japan, where a 2% drop in the JPY was accompanied by a 5% jump in the Nikkei225 index, France's CAC40 lost more than 2% intraday, paring its losses to 1.2% towards the end of the trading day in Europe. The EURUSD stopped its climb in July and has been hovering around 1.1700 all this time, not least because of the political crisis in France. Without it, the single currency would have had a much better chance of exploiting political divisions in the US to its advantage. It would be an exaggeration to call the situation in Japan and France a drama. Still, these events once again emphasise that as soon as the dollar's throne begin.

News

Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series; Crack The Code!

News

Cryptocurrency Movies
Documentaries

Banking on Bitcoin (2016)
Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots, and impact on global financial systems through interviews with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.

Deep Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator, Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in dark web transactions.

Bitconned (2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing how three individuals defrauded investors during the 2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated markets.

Feature Films

Silk Road (2021)
A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin. It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and drama.

Dope (2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association with illicit activities.

Bonus Mentions

Life on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early adoption challenges.

Bitcoin Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.

Notes Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology, and real-world implications. They’re great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

News

The film explores themes of capitalism, loyalty, and betrayal, with Bud navigating pressures from Gekko, his father (Martin Sheen), and his own conscience.

Awards: Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Notable Aspects:

Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting 1980s excess. Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.

A sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued the story.

Where to Watch (as of 2025):
Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current availability).
Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.

News Flashback

Gold, copper, & silver:

How metals are moving this year

Metal futures have made some pretty dramatic moves lately from safe haven gold to tariff sensitive copper. So let's take a look at the longer term trends. I'm Jared Blikre, host of Stocks in Translation. And I'm going to start by charting some of the moves in Dr. Copper because this is where we have the most zig and zags over the last 25 years. So this goes back to the beginning of the century and we can see right now, we're at $5.51 per pound. That is a record high. But if we go back to the beginning of the century, guess what? Uh we had a little bit of a slump in the wake of the dot com boom and then bust, but starting in 2003, we saw a big rise there. And that was as China actually joined the World Trade Organization or the WTO. That lasted into the global financial crisis. Then we had a pretty big bust in in Dr. Copper, and then we had another rise. And that rise was due to unprecedented stimulus, not only from the Chinese government, but also from the United States government, QE was in force, and then we saw kind of a strong dollar play. That weighed on this metal all the way into the beginning of 2016. The entire world, most of the world indices went through a bear market in 2015, and then 2016, we found the footing. And that was actually the year that Trump won, began his first presidency. And from there, we saw some zig and zags, and then we saw a shock into the pandemic. A couple of, a couple of years of deflation or a semi-deflation, disinflation, that caught up with it in 2022, but then it was off to the races again. And especially with the Trump tariffs now on copper, threatening to be threatening to be 50% on August 1st, we're seeing a lot of front running in this trade. Now, I also want to show you gold futures and I'm going to show you silver as well. And they follow a very similar pattern. We're not seeing the dramatic zig and zags that we did in copper, but we did see the same pattern of China joining the WTO, contributing to that huge rise in price to 1800, almost $2,000 an ounce by the beginning of the global financial crisis. So a little bit of a meltdown there. But in 2016 into 2018, we saw a bit of a rise into the pandemic, a little bit of a whipsaw there, and consolidation over a few years. Again, that 2022 bare market in US stocks that contributed to some deflation and disinflation globally, supply chain chain shocks came into force again, and then we saw this huge rise beginning in late 2023, and we are now at 3353. We've seen a high of as much as $3,500 per ounce. And gold is kind of unique among the precious metals and also the industrial metals, and this is because central banks have been a huge determining force in their buying of it. This is a bar chart that shows central bank buying in tons going back all the way to 2010. And what you notice here is the last three years, 2022, 2023, 2024, all of those had gold being bought by central banks of in the amount of over 1,000 tons. And so that's a pretty big dramatic increase from the prior years. And this has to do with the ongoing dedollarization in China, as well as Russia, but also a host of other countries, even some in western and eastern Europe. So this is a trend that we want to follow. Uh, I want to close out here with silver, and I'm going to just chart the price action. Again, very similar chart to gold and copper in terms of the big movements here. We saw a big price spike into almost $50 per ounce, and that was just as the global financial crisis was getting underway. And then the QE area in 2011, that's when we saw that high. Then we saw a dramatic, dramatic crash into 2016, kind of found its footing, saw a big squeeze in the early pandemic, 2020 was a great year for silver, but then we saw a little bit of a fallout. And again, silver is on the rise here at $38. It's still off of that $50 record high, but it is increasing very quickly. To round out the conversation, I want to just put on a table here. I have all three medals and just kind of grouping them together. I want to display how they are moving with their specific patterns with a trigger, and then to tell you which one of these is featured in these specific criteria. So here, under the pattern, we have acceleration. So that would be an economic acceleration. The trigger would be liquidity. And when that happens, we see all metals benefiting from that. And then when there's a safe haven scare, and that trigger would be a crisis of some sorts, you're going to see gold and silver outperforming the most, kind of leaving Dr. Copper behind. And then here's a bearish one, industrial drags, that affects copper disproportionately here, and the trigger there is typically a stronger US dollar because the US dollar surges when global global industrials tend to drag, and that's because the US is the least dirty shirt in the laundry basket of the world. And then finally here, we have a policy shock. This will affect all three medals, but especially copper and gold here. Um, arguably, the biggest reason is tariffs and debt, and we've seen both of those contribute to silver rising. So we could put all three in that basket as well. But when you put it all together, we have the perfect explosive mix for all three of these metals, including palladium and also platinum, which we didn't get to have time for, but all of these are experiencing huge thrust in 2025. And we'll have to see how these tariffs play out, especially on Dr. Copper with respect to that August 1st deadline. Remember, 50% there. So tune into Stocks in Translation for more jargon busting deep dives, new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Yahoo Finances website, or wherever you find your podcast. (Transcript from Yahoo! Finance podcast)

News

Best Quotes

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

"Bottoms in the investment world don't end with four-year lows; they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim Rogers

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

Media Man "Bullish is a mindset"

Markets, Crypto and Culture

October 2, 2025

Sydney, Australia

Markets

ASX futures up 46 points or 0.5% to 8923

Wall Street:
S&P 500 +0.3%
Dow Jones +0.1%
Nasdaq +0.4%

Europe:
Stoxx 50 +0.9%
FTSE +1%
DAX +1%
CAC +0.9%

Bitcoin +2.4% to $US117,575

Gold +0.1% to $US3864.36 per ounce
US oil -1% to $US61.77 a barrel
Brent crude oil -1% to $US65.39 a barrel
Iron ore flat at $US103.60 per tonne

10-year yield:
US 4.10%
Australia 4.36%
Germany 2.71%

News

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Bitcoin $117,874.03 +3.44%
Ethereum $4,322.05 +4.37%
Tether $1.0004 +0.04%
Binance Coin $1,022.61 +1.94%
XRP $2.9400 +3.35%
Solana $219.80 +5.58%
USDC $0.9997 +0.02%
TRON $0.3417 +2.62%
Dogecoin $0.2466 +6.40%

Market Cautious! Mood gaining

News

Mining Stocks

BHP Group Ltd $41.47 -1.06 +2.49%
Fortescue Ltd $18.94 +0.26 +1.39%
Rio Tinto $122.58 +0.55 +0.45%

News

The crypto market has rebounded from its low point, but further signals are needed
Market Overview
The crypto market capitalisation has remained virtually unchanged over the past 24 hours, staying close to $3.91 trillion and the 50-day moving average. The market has moved away from local lows but prefers to wait for the next catalyst to determine its direction. Labour market data and the resolution of the US shutdown issue promise to help in this regard.

Bitcoin is trading above $114.4k, trying to consolidate above its 50-day moving average. The first cryptocurrency is much worse than gold and silver at exploiting the narrative of US financial problems, showing very indecisive growth. Cryptocurrencies are being weighed down by pressure on the stock markets, for which the shutdown is a negative factor.

Bitcoin rose 6.1% in September to $114.6k, defying the seasonal trends of one of the two worst months of the year. In recent days, BTC has managed to approach the highs of the middle of the month.

From a seasonal perspective, October is one of the three best months of the year, which is why it is called ‘Uptober.’ Over the past 14 years, Bitcoin has ended this month with growth in 10 cases. The average growth was 27.4%, and the average decline was 15.3%.

News Background
According to Bitwise, the current situation may indicate the end of the decline phase. Sellers appear to be ‘increasingly depleted.’ Upcoming SEC decisions on spot ETFs could be catalysts for growth, according to Bitget Research.

The share of altcoins in the volume of futures trading on Binance reached a historic high of 82.3%, exceeding the peak values of the 2021 altseason, according to CryptoQuant. Traders are increasingly shifting their attention to more volatile assets in anticipation of higher profits.

DePIN tokens of decentralised physical infrastructure networks are not securities and are therefore outside the SEC's oversight. This is stated in a letter from the regulator addressed to the DoubleZero project. (FxPro)

Media Man: Cryptos bullish!

News lead up

Crypto market attempts to form a double bottom

Market Overview

The crypto market has been gaining since the start of the day on Friday, adding 3.5% during this time to $3.85 trillion, but still 1.3% below the level of a week earlier.

The rebound is coming from roughly the same levels as in early September. Once again, altcoins are recovering stronger than BTC. Such outperformance in the early stages of recovery often indicates the future winners of the race, which in this case are altcoins. The sentiment index fell to 28 on Friday but recovered to 50 by Monday. The approach to the extreme fear zone seems to have activated optimists, who began to buy back the drawdown. However, cautious traders will likely prefer to wait for the results of the 50-day moving average test, which is currently passing through $3.92 trillion. At the end of last week, Bitcoin found support at 109,000.

It was bought at roughly the same levels as the end of August and even slightly higher, which is positive for the bulls. On the other hand, September's local high is lower than the previous one, which generally indicates a decrease in volatility and a stronger movement towards a breakout beyond the $108-118K range. Movements within the range can give many false short-term signals.

News Background

Santiment has recorded a surge in mentions of “buy on dip,” which may indicate the likelihood of an imminent rebound. In addition, whales continue to accumulate BTC, and the supply of Bitcoin on exchanges is declining. However, Glassnode warns of a continued correction, given growing selling pressure from long-term holders and declining institutional demand for ETFs. The first Ethereum ETF with a staking feature from REX Shares and Osprey Funds has launched in the US.

Investors will receive monthly payments for supporting the ETH network. Applications from BlackRock and Fidelity are still being reviewed by the SEC. Ethereum has begun to show signs that a local bottom has likely been reached, notes analyst Mikybull Crypto.

The RSI oscillator on daily charts has fallen to its lowest levels since April, when ETH was trading around $1,400. According to the Wall Street Journal, US regulators are investigating cases of potential insider trading involving companies that accumulate cryptocurrencies in their reserves. The SEC and FINRA have already sent inquiries to a number of companies.

Rating agency Moody's warns that the rapid expansion of cryptocurrencies’ use in developing countries, including stablecoins, poses risks to monetary sovereignty and financial stability. (FxPro)

News

Sept 30

Uncertainty benefits AUD, while shutdown hurts USD

The Australian dollar gained for the third trading session, accelerating its growth to 0.5% on Tuesday after the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to keep its key rate at 3.60%. Analysts widely anticipated the decision, but the official commentary on the decision contained hawkish notes, which played into the hands of the AUD. The RBA noted that September inflation may be higher than previously expected and pointed to a recovery in economic activity. When the economy does not require emergency support and inflation is likely to pick up, central banks are more inclined to pause and assess the dynamic. In contrast, there are increasing signs in the US that monetary policy needs to be eased.

Taken together, this creates a divergence between Australian and US monetary policy in favour of the Australian dollar. At the end of last week, AUDUSD found support at the 50-day moving average and reversed to growth at the 200-day average. The pair has been moving upwards within a range since the beginning of the year, from which it only fell during the shock of ‘America's Liberation Day’ in early April. The Aussie touched the upper limit of this channel on 17 September, briefly exceeding 0.6700, but the looming US government shutdown halted the strengthening of the USD on the Fed's cautious comments. This exceptionally short-term and speculative story (a compromise was always found sooner or later) nevertheless undermines long-term confidence in the dollar, preventing it from reversing the downward trend that began at the start of the year. (FxPro)

News Flashback

Oil: producers intensify battle for market share Bullish sentiment on global stock and commodity markets supported the prevailing positive mood in oil prices last week. However, on Friday, the price turned downwards when it touched the 200-day moving average. This is due not only to technical factors but also to a set of fundamental reasons.

The latest weekly data on stocks and production reinforce the position of oil sellers. On Friday, Baker Hughes noted an increase in the number of active oil rigs to 424 (+6 for the week and +14 from the low in early August). Although this is significantly lower than the levels at the beginning of the year, when the latest decline began, it still resembles a trend that points to increased activity among US oil producers and their renewed confidence in the need to invest in the sector.

In addition, actual production levels have been rising since mid-July. In the middle of last week, the EIA reported an increase in production to 13.5 million barrels per day, the highest since the end of March. Interestingly, this has not yet led to an accumulation of reserves. Commercial stocks have fallen by almost 10 million barrels over the past two weeks, staying close to the lower limit for this indicator over the past ten years.

The strategic reserve is being replenished, but at about half the rate it was before Trump's election victory in November last year. Over the weekend, it was also reported that at the next monthly meeting of the OPEC+ monitoring committee on October 5, a recommendation will be considered for the cartel to increase quotas by at least another 135,000 barrels per day starting in November. The cartel has made a shift in its strategy, actively increasing quotas, first by removing voluntary cuts and now by raising the bar for all participants. In total, quotas have been increased by 2.5 million barrels per day during this period. The intensification of oil production has halted attempts by oil to grow, despite the positive macroeconomic backdrop. As a result, oil prices have been unable to sustainably consolidate above the 200-day moving average for more than a year now. This downward trend line has fallen to around $70, compared to $82 just over a year ago and a peak of $100 at the end of 2022.

Oil has been moving within a downward range for the past three years, with the upper limit for Brent at $73 per barrel and the lower limit at $53. Although the price is now significantly closer to the upper limit, a set of fundamental factors and technical pressures makes a decline more likely than growth in the near term. (FxPro)

News

News Flashback

Gold

What the aggressive growth of gold indicates

Gold is once again benefiting from a combination of geopolitical tensions, demand for safe-haven assets, and reduced risk appetite in the stock and cryptocurrency markets. The price per ounce returned to its historic highs, reaching $3,750 on the spot market and adding 3% from the start of the day on Friday to the start of active trading in Europe on Tuesday.

The previous historic high was set on 17 September, followed by two days of profit-taking. However, the wave of decline was not long-lasting, and gold corrected by less than 20% from its last rally on 20 August. This indicates a strong appetite for gold, despite the price highs and an almost unprecedented rate of growth since the beginning of the year. From a technical point of view, the expansion of this pattern indicates the potential for the price to rise to $4,000.

Politics is once again working in favour of gold bugs. The tightening of work visa rules is likely to cause discontent in India. Modi's statements about the need to make the country independent of foreign markets are undermining hopes for a trade settlement.

The latest discussion of a government shutdown also supports gold purchases.

The Fed's softening of its monetary policy stance is providing additional long-term confidence to buyers. Although this reassessment of market prospects has paused in recent days, it appears to be a pause rather than a reversal, as it would take a strong improvement in labour market indicators and a surge in inflation to change this trend.

Gold is being pushed in the same direction by expectations that global central banks will continue to accumulate gold reserves at the expense of the dollar's share in them, as alternative currencies do not look much better in terms of fundamentals.

On the other hand, the price growth rate is now more of a bearish factor. The historic rally is increasing demand for a full-fledged portfolio shake-up, with a correction of more than 130% growth over the last three years. The period from September to November, with the end of the financial and calendar year, looks like a suitable point to start this trend.

Additionally, the RSI on daily timeframes entering the overbought zone above 80 earlier in September increases the risks of a decline. Last week's price decline pushed the index back to 70. A similar signal has triggered a sideways movement or correction about a dozen times in the last five years, with only one exception in April 2024, when we saw an 8% price increase before a three-month sideways movement.

On balance, we view the situation as the final stage of gold's increase over the past three years. Growth within it may be quite aggressive, combined with accelerated closing of short positions. However, for medium- and long-term investors, this is suitable for closing long positions and looking for the right moment to open short ones. (FxPro)

News

Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series

News

Cryptocurrency Movies

Documentaries

The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014) Follows early Bitcoin adopter Daniel Mross, exploring Bitcoin’s origins, its volatile rise, and the community behind it. Great for understanding Bitcoin’s early days and its potential to disrupt finance.

Banking on Bitcoin (2016) Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots, and impact on global financial systems through interviews with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet (2020)

Directed by Torsten Hoffmann, this documentary dives into blockchain’s broader applications beyond cryptocurrency, addressing scalability and regulatory challenges. Ideal for those interested in blockchain’s transformative potential.

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015) Traces the history of money and introduces Bitcoin as a decentralized alternative, critiquing centralized financial systems. Features interviews with crypto experts.

Deep Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator, Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in dark web transactions.

Bitconned (2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing how three individuals defrauded investors during the 2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated markets.

Feature Films

Crypto (2019) A crime thriller starring Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, and Kurt Russell. It follows a young anti-money laundering agent investigating corruption and cryptocurrency in his hometown. Critics note its exaggerated portrayal but praise its entertainment value.

Silk Road (2021) A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin. It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and drama.

Dope (2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association with illicit activities.

Bonus Mentions

Life on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early adoption challenges.

Bitcoin Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.

Notes

Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology, and real-world implications. They’re great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Feature films often dramatize crypto’s association with crime or scams, sometimes oversimplifying or exaggerating for effect. They prioritize entertainment over accuracy.

For a deeper dive, check streaming platforms like Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or YouTube, where many of these are available.

News

Wall Street (Movie)

Wall Street (1987), directed by Oliver Stone, is a drama about ambition and greed in the 1980s financial world. It follows Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker desperate to succeed, who gets entangled with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a ruthless corporate raider. Gekko’s mantra, “Greed is good,” drives the story as Bud is lured into insider trading and unethical deals, compromising his morals for wealth and power. The film explores themes of capitalism, loyalty, and betrayal, with Bud navigating pressures from Gekko, his father (Martin Sheen), and his own conscience.

Key Details:

Cast: Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Martin Sheen (Carl Fox). Runtime: 2h 6m. Genre: Drama/Crime. Rating: R. Box Office: ~$44 million (US).

Awards: Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Notable Aspects:

Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting 1980s excess.

Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.

A sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued the story.

Where to Watch (as of 2025):

Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current availability). Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.

News

Gold, copper, & silver: How metals are moving this year

News

Best Quotes

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

"Bottoms in the investment world don't end with four-year lows; they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim Rogers

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

Media Man

"Bullish is a mindset"

News

Cryptocurrency market uncertainty as a sign of suppressed retail risk appetite

Market Overview

Cryptocurrency market capitalisation has gained 2.5% over the past seven days to $3.85 trillion, demonstrating a very modest and erratic recovery without buyer euphoria or significant volumes. The crypto market capitalisation remains below its 50-day moving average, indicating the prevalence of bears in the market. This is a very worrying indicator of underlying risk appetite in financial markets. Although stocks are offsetting the weakness in the labour market with growth in anticipation of Fed dovishness, the weakness of the economy is still negative for retail customers, the driving force behind prices.

The sentiment index fell into fear territory on Sunday at 44, but returned to a neutral 51 on Monday, reflecting a wait-and-see stance.

Bitcoin continues to hover around $111K, crossing this mark up or down every day for the past seven days. Since the beginning of September, an upward line can be drawn through the local price lows, but BTC has gained about 3.6% during this time, more than the losses on 28 August alone.

News Background

The total volume of corporate Bitcoin reserves reached a record 840,000 BTC in August, but their growth rate and transaction volume fell to annual lows, according to CryptoQuant. This indicates a weakening of institutional demand.

The altcoin season has already begun, but only for those coins that large companies have included in their reserves, according to Bloomberg. Another potential driver of the alt season could be the approval of crypto ETF applications in the US. About 10 assets are expected from the SEC, including Dogecoin, Chainlink, Stellar, Bitcoin Cash, Avalanche, Litecoin, Shiba Inu, Polkadot, Solana and Hedera.

Stablecoins are gaining popularity because they offer businesses faster, cheaper and more reliable payments than traditional systems, said Stripe CEO Patrick Collison.

The Financial Times has learned of Tether's plans to buy gold. According to the publication's sources, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin has been discussing investing in the entire precious metal supply chain, which includes mining, processing, trading, and royalties. (FxPro)

News Flashback

September 4

Bitcoin is too cautious, XRP is more relaxed

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market cap has not changed over the past day, remaining close to $3.81 trillion. On Wednesday, the market rose to $3.9T, but was unable to maintain its growth trajectory. Among the top coins, Ethereum has been the growth leader for over 24 hours, but its 1.4% rise is less than half of Wednesday’s gains.

Bitcoin is trading just above $110K, down 1.5% since the start of the day on Thursday. We believe the reason for the pullback is caution ahead of Friday's employment release, as BTC is the most sensitive to macroeconomic data among all cryptocurrencies. There may be many false signals within the $108K to $113K range, but a breakout from this consolidation can be seen as a more reliable signal of the trend direction for the coming days.

XRP escaped Thursday's general gloom, recovering fairly quickly to the day's opening levels after a weak start. This is an indicator of the internal strength of buyers, who are waiting for the risks of uncertainty to decrease, but are generally optimistic about tomorrow.

News Background

The pursuit of high returns from storing Ethereum carries serious risks for companies, warns SharpLink Gaming, itself the second-largest public holder of ETH by assets.

The queue to enter Ethereum staking has reached a two-year high, with an average waiting time of 14 days. The queue to exit staking has decreased by 20% after reaching a record high of 1 million ETH on 29 August.

According to The Block, the total volume of cryptocurrency trading on exchanges in August reached the levels seen at the beginning of the year.

The SEC and CFTC intend to coordinate the launch of spot crypto asset trading on regulated platforms, according to a joint statement from the agencies. The initiative aims to strengthen US leadership in blockchain technology.

The Solana community has approved the Alpenglow update, which will significantly speed up transaction finalisation and the operation of decentralised applications. According to MEXC forecasts, SOL could reach $250 by the end of the year.

The number of searches for meme tokens on Google has increased after several months of low activity. The indicator reached 57 points on a 100-point scale. This is significantly lower than the peak of 100 points recorded in January, which was fuelled by the hype surrounding the launch of the TRUMP token. (FxPro)

BTC

Market Cautious

News Flashback 36 hrs ago

The crypto market continues to send alarming signals

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market capitalisation has fallen by 3.4% over the past seven days to $3.74 trillion, its lowest level in three and a half weeks.

News Flashback

Leading altcoins are once again attempting to pull the crypto market upwards

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has increased by almost 2% to $3.86 trillion over the past 24 hours due to the traction of major altcoins such as Ethereum (+4%), XRP (+3%), Solana (+7.8%), and Dogecoin (+4.9%).

Crypto enthusiasts were expecting a different altcoin season, but it is still worth noting their outperformance relative to the first cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin gained 1% to $111K during the day after spending most of Tuesday forming the basis for a rebound on dips below $110K. This is an important indicator of interest in buying on dips, which probably encouraged more risk-tolerant altcoin buyers. The former is also lagging the stock market, where the S&P500 is on the verge of historic highs, and the Nasdaq100 is 1.8% below its historic high.

News Background

The Bitcoin derivatives market points to pessimistic sentiment, as market participants are actively buying put options.

New investors are selling Bitcoin at a loss. In this way, the market is getting rid of ‘weak hands’ and preparing a support base for future growth, notes analyst Crazzyblockk.

GLJ Research head Gordon Johnson said that BTC is at risk of a 65% collapse due to a reduction in dollar liquidity in the US financial system for the first time since 2022. Only the Fed’s abandonment of quantitative tightening (QT) and a return to new quantitative easing (QE) can remedy the situation.

According to Bitfinex, the altcoin season will not start until new cryptocurrency ETFs are approved. It is only expected to begin at the end of the year. The SEC is currently reviewing more than 70 applications to launch altcoin-based ETFs.

Citi warns that paying interest on stablecoin deposits could cause a massive outflow of deposits from the banking system. A similar situation was observed during the money market fund boom in the United States in the 1980s. (FxPro)

News

The reversal of the trend in crypto has been confirmed

Market Overview

The crypto market has been on a downward trend for the last 12 days, falling to $3.76 trillion on Tuesday morning and later stabilising at $3.79 trillion.

Capitalisation fell below the 50-day moving average and the area of recent lows, giving a technical signal of a change in the trend from growth to decline. The declines in this area over the past three months have been close to the bottom of local corrections.

The sentiment index remains fairly stable in neutral territory (48 versus 47 the day before). Declines in this area over the last three months have been close to the bottom of local corrections.

Bitcoin is trading near $110K, dropping to a low of $108.5K. Local attempts to stabilise in BTC are being replaced by even greater sell-offs.

News

S&P500’s buy-the-dip sentiment helped Bitcoin

The sell-off of Bitcoin following Congress's passage of a law regulating the circulation of stablecoins and the retreat of US stock indices from record highs allowed Bitcoin bears to push prices below the lower boundary of the $116k—$120k consolidation range. When it looked like a severe correction was coming, US stocks stepped in again. Investors bought up the S&P 500 dip, and Bitcoin immediately bounced back.

Changes in global risk appetite continue to be the main driver of cryptocurrency prices. July saw a series of record highs for the S&P 500, making it a successful month for Bitcoin. Meanwhile, Bitcoin-focused ETFs attracted $6 billion, the third-best result in the history of specialised exchange-traded funds. Ether ETFs were not far behind, with a record inflow of $5.4 billion.

The situation changed dramatically at the turn of July and August. Interest in digital assets began to cool. Coinbase's Bitcoin premium fell into the red for the first time since May, indicating a decline in demand from US investors. Open interest in Bitcoin and Ether futures contracts fell by 13% and 21%, respectively, compared to Bitcoin's record high. According to Coinglass, on the last day of July, $800 million in long positions across all cryptocurrencies were liquidated.

Speculators doubt the rally's continuation, while crypto treasuries are buying Bitcoin under any conditions. On pullbacks or at market prices, ‘Strategy’ acquired more than 21,000 coins worth $2.46 billion during the week of July 28th to August 3rd. This is the third-largest cryptocurrency purchase by Michael Saylor's company since records began. The average price is the second highest in history. As a result, Strategy's reserves have grown to more than $71 billion.

The future dynamics of Bitcoin will depend on the fate of US stock indices and capital flows into ETFs. If the S&P 500's successes are temporary, Bitcoin will be forced to undergo a deep correction. If its quotes remain below the middle of the previous consolidation range of $116k—$120k, the bears are in control. (FxPro)

News Flashback

Three blows to oil in three days

Oil has been under triple pressure since the end of last week, losing more than 7% per barrel of WTI since 31 July, reaching the important psychological level of $65.

The latest wave of oil sell-offs began with the realisation that US trade tariffs from August will be higher than initially expected, as higher tariffs are associated with an economic slowdown and weaker demand for energy. Fears of an economic slowdown intensified after the release of unexpectedly weak US employment data on Friday. Over the weekend, concerns were heightened by OPEC+'s increase in production quotas, which was reflected in the markets on Monday.

After its latest meeting, OPEC+ announced that it would increase production quotas for eight countries by 547,000 barrels per day starting in September.

Considering the quota increases since April, the entire voluntarily reduced volume of 2.2 million barrels per day will return to the market. This is a rather bold decision, given the growing fear that the global economy is slowing down.

Some link such steps by the cartel to the risks of supply disruptions due to potential sanctions from the US and the EU. In our opinion, it is also worth considering the cartel's intention to regain its market share from the US in this way.

Oil producers in the US are very sensitive to price, sharply cutting investment when prices fall. At the beginning of April, there were 489 oil rigs in operation, but according to data published on Friday, this number has fallen to 410. In the long term, a gradual increase in production efficiency should be considered, but at intervals of six months, it is unlikely that there will be any sharp progress. Therefore, we can expect some US production reduction and a gradual recovery in the share of traditional oil producers such as Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UAE.

The price of WTI crude oil, which rose to close to $70 at its peak last week, has returned to the lower end of the range since early June at $65. Closing the day below 66 will mark a failure below the 200- and 50-day moving averages, increasing the potential for further declines.

If OPEC+ really plans to increase its share of the oil market, it may not oppose further price declines. The intensification of negative trends in the global and US economies could bring the price back to this year's lows of $55 by the end of September and to the lower end of the downward corridor of $50 by the end of the year. However, further trends will depend heavily on the reaction of monetary authorities and oil producers. (FxPro)

News

Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series

News

Cryptocurrency Movies

Documentaries

The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014) Follows early Bitcoin adopter Daniel Mross, exploring Bitcoin’s origins, its volatile rise, and the community behind it. Great for understanding Bitcoin’s early days and its potential to disrupt finance.

Banking on Bitcoin (2016) Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots, and impact on global financial systems through interviews with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet (2020)

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015) Traces the history of money and introduces Bitcoin as a decentralized alternative, critiquing centralized financial systems. Features interviews with crypto experts.

Deep Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator, Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in dark web transactions.

Bitconned (2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing how three individuals defrauded investors during the 2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated markets.

Feature Films

Crypto (2019) A crime thriller starring Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, and Kurt Russell. It follows a young anti-money laundering agent investigating corruption and cryptocurrency in his hometown. Critics note its exaggerated portrayal but praise its entertainment value.

Silk Road (2021) A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin. It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and drama.

Dope (2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association with illicit activities.

Bonus Mentions

Life on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early adoption challenges.

Bitcoin Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.

Notes

Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology, and real-world implications. They’re great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Feature films often dramatize crypto’s association with crime or scams, sometimes oversimplifying or exaggerating for effect. They prioritize entertainment over accuracy.

For a deeper dive, check streaming platforms like Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or YouTube, where many of these are available.

News

Wall Street (Movie)

Key Details:

Cast: Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Martin Sheen (Carl Fox). Runtime: 2h 6m. Genre: Drama/Crime. Rating: R. Box Office: ~$44 million (US).

Awards: Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Notable Aspects:

Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting 1980s excess.

Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.

A sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued the story.

Where to Watch (as of 2025):

Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current availability). Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.

News

Gold, copper, & silver: How metals are moving this year

News

Best Quotes

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

"Bottoms in the investment world don't end with four-year lows; they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim Rogers

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

Markets, Crypto and Culture

August 15, 2025

Sydney, Australia

Markets

ASX futures up 2 points to 8832 at 6.41am AEST
Australian dollar -0.8% to 64.97 US cents

Wall St:
S&P 500 flat
Dow flat
NAS +0.1%

Europe:
Stoxx 50 +0.9%, FTSE +0.1%, DAX +0.8%, CAC +0.8%

Bitcoin -4% to $US118,066

Gold -0.6% to $US3335.42 per ounce

Oil +2.2% to $US64.01 a barrel
Brent crude oil +2% to $US66.91 a barrel
Iron ore -1.1% to $US102.35 per ton

10-year yield:
US 4.28%
Australia 4.21%
Germany 2.71%

News

Cryptos Today: (Near Live)

Bitcoin $117,672.99 USD -4.11%
Ethereum $4,458.95 USD -5.51%
Tether $1.00 USD +0.09%
XRP $3.05 USD -6.18%
BNB $829.16 USD -1.68%

News Overnight

Bitcoin hit new highs but then dropped back down

Market Overview

The crypto market cap rose to $4.20 trillion on Thursday morning before dropping back down somewhat to $4.14 trillion. But even with the correction, the daily gain is close to 2%, led by Bitcoin's slide to a new peak of $124.5K. Among the major coins, Cardano (+18%), Near Protocol (+6.2%) and Trump (+5.9%) were the leaders.

The sentiment index rose to 75, ready to move into the extreme greed zone. It was previously held at this level throughout the second half of July, but the entire crypto market was in a range at that time. (FxPro)

News Flashback

Summer Break for the Crypto Market

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market began August with a relatively narrow range of $3.6-3.8 trillion, ending Wednesday at $3.72 trillion. The support received in the area of previous peaks set in December and January suggests that this is a temporary pause to lock in profits and gain liquidity before a new surge. At the same time, however, such sluggishness is turning away the most active traders, who are used to seeing multiple rallies. Now they have moved on to very small projects.

On Tuesday, Bitcoin was again approaching its 50-day moving average. Such frequent testing of the medium-term trend signal line indicates accumulated fatigue in the first cryptocurrency. For comparison, the crypto market's total capitalisation is still moving significantly above its 50-day average, which is currently around $3.57 trillion.

News Background

Institutional investors are actively buying up Ethereum, while retail traders remain on the sidelines. SharpLink bought 83,561 ETH ($264.5 million) last week at an average price of $3,634. The company's reserves amount to almost 522,000 ETH (~$1.9 billion). However, Bitmine Immersion Tech remains the leader, with 833 coins worth over $3 billion. A total of 64 corporations now own 2.96 million ETH ($10.81 billion) or 2.45% of the total Ethereum supply.

Large companies continue to buy Bitcoin, adding 26,700 BTC to their reserves in July. Strategy bought 21,021 BTC for $2.46 billion last week. According to BitcoinTreasuries, public and private companies now hold 1.35 million BTC ($155 billion) on their balance sheets — more than 6% of the total digital gold supply.

US regulators have proposed new rules for the crypto industry. The CFTC has launched an initiative to legalise spot trading of cryptocurrencies on registered exchanges, and the SEC has updated its guidance on stablecoin accounting rules.

USDe from Ethena Labs has become the third-largest stablecoin. Since mid-July, its capitalisation has grown by 75% to $9.5 billion. Demand for the asset may have been spurred by high yields ranging from 10% to 19% per annum. The total capitalisation of all stablecoins has been growing for the seventh month in a row and is approaching $275 billion. (FxPro)

News

S&P500’s buy-the-dip sentiment helped Bitcoin

News

Bitcoin tests support at 50-day MA

Market Picture

The crypto market rolled back at the end of last week following a reduction in risk appetite in the financial markets. However, on Sunday, sentiment changed with the return of active buyers near the total capitalisation of $3.60 trillion. At the time of writing, the market is at $3.73 trillion (+3.6%). Less than 10% of the top 100 coins show gains over 7 days, among which the largest are TRON (+2.2%) and TON (+4.5%).

The crypto market sentiment index fell to 53 by Sunday morning, a six-week low, but recovered to 64 on Monday, reflecting a resurgence of bullish sentiment. However, another impressive upward move will be needed to confirm a local victory for the bulls.

On Saturday and Sunday, Bitcoin received support from buyers on declines below $112K near the 50-day moving average - the fourth touch of this curve since April. On the “buy the dip” sentiment, the first cryptocurrency recovered to $115K on Monday morning. The rebound from support is a bullish signal for the next couple of days, but the fact that it has been tested frequently raises concerns for the medium term. News Background

According to SoSoValue, net outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US amounted to $812.3 million on August 1, the highest since February 25. As a result, the weekly outflow from BTC ETFs amounted to $643 million, a record high for the past 16 weeks.

The net outflow from spot Ethereum ETFs in the US on Friday amounted to $152.3 million. However, inflows in the previous days of the week managed to keep the indicator in positive territory (+$154.3 million). The positive trend has continued for 12 consecutive weeks.

Analyst Ali Martinez says that over the past two days, Bitcoin whales have bought 30,000 BTC. According to Santiment, over the past four months, whales with balances ranging from 10 to 10,000 BTC have accumulated 0.9% of the total coin supply.

According to The Block, trading volume on centralised crypto exchanges exceeded $1.7 trillion in July (the highest since February 2025), and trading volume on decentralised exchanges (DEX) also reached its highest level since January.

Galaxy Digital warned of risks in the public company sector, which accumulates cryptocurrencies by issuing shares. The model creates systemic vulnerability and could lead to a cascade collapse.

US SEC Chairman Paul Atkins announced Project Crypto. The project’s key objective is to establish clear rules for cryptocurrencies and turn the US into the “world’s crypto capital.” (FxPro)

News Flashback

Three blows to oil in three days

Oil has been under triple pressure since the end of last week, losing more than 7% per barrel of WTI since 31 July, reaching the important psychological level of $65.

After its latest meeting, OPEC+ announced that it would increase production quotas for eight countries by 547,000 barrels per day starting in September.

News Flashback

July 29, 2025

Ethereum continues attempt to climb above $4,000

Market Picture

The crypto market lost 1%, falling back to a capitalisation of $3.9 trillion. This was a natural pullback against the backdrop of the dollar's impressive strengthening the day before. However, on Tuesday, the bulls were back in charge, bringing the market back to a level above Monday's opening but not yet reaching its peak.

Bitcoin is trading near $118.7K, unable to break through the resistance at $120K. This indecision to break out of the range is likely to continue until the market sees the Fed's key rate decision on Wednesday evening.

Ethereum rose to $3,930 at the end of the day, fell back to $3,700 on Monday, where it found interest from new buyers and rose to $3,830 at the time of writing. The last seven days have seen a fairly sharp upward trend, and if this trend continues, the price will rise above 4,000 by the end of this week.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investment inflows into crypto funds last week amounted to $1.908 billion. Investments in Ethereum increased by $1.595 billion, Solana by a significant $312 million, XRP by $190 million, and Sui by $8 million. Investments in Bitcoin decreased by $175 million.

Japan's Metaplanet announced the acquisition of 780 BTC ($92.5 million) at an average price of $118,600. The company's total reserves now amount to 17,132 BTC, worth over $2 billion.

According to Blockware, Bitcoin will no longer show ‘parabolic’ rallies or ‘devastating’ bear cycles, as institutional investors have changed the market dynamics and reduced volatility.

According to Strategic ETH Reserve, the volume of the second cryptocurrency on the balance sheets of public companies has reached 2.32 million ETH (~$9.11 billion) — 1.92% of the total Ethereum supply. Bitmine Immersion Tech, associated with Fundstrat founder Tom Lee, pursues the most aggressive strategy. The company has ~566,800 ETH ($2.23 billion) on its balance sheet.

BNB, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by capitalisation, updated its historical high above $860 on Monday. Against this background, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao's estimated fortune exceeded $76 billion. According to Forbes, Zhao owns 64% of the BNB supply — about 89.1 million tokens. (FxPro)

News

Pop Culture News

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking/Sports; Media Man Group Dream Match Series

News

Cryptocurrency Movies
Documentaries

The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014) Follows early Bitcoin adopter Daniel Mross, exploring Bitcoin’s origins, its volatile rise, and the community behind it. Great for understanding Bitcoin’s early days and its potential to disrupt finance.

Banking on Bitcoin (2016) Examines Bitcoin’s history, ideological roots, and impact on global financial systems through interviews with pioneers and experts. A solid primer for newcomers.

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet (2020)

Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (2015) Traces the history of money and introduces Bitcoin as a decentralized alternative, critiquing centralized financial systems. Features interviews with crypto experts.

Deep Web (2015) Narrated by Keanu Reeves, this documentary focuses on the Silk Road marketplace and its creator, Ross Ulbricht, highlighting Bitcoin’s role in dark web transactions.

Bitconned (2024) Explores the Centra Tech crypto scam, detailing how three individuals defrauded investors during the 2010s crypto boom. A cautionary tale about unregulated markets.

Feature Films

Crypto (2019) A crime thriller starring Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, and Kurt Russell. It follows a young anti-money laundering agent investigating corruption and cryptocurrency in his hometown. Critics note its exaggerated portrayal but praise its entertainment value.

Silk Road (2021) A dramatization of Ross Ulbricht’s creation of the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace using Bitcoin. It explores his rise and fall, blending crime and drama.

Dope (2015) A coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Bitcoin as a plot device. High schooler Malcolm uses Bitcoin for a dark web transaction, reflecting its early association with illicit activities.

Bonus Mentions

Life on Bitcoin (2014): Follows a couple attempting to live solely on Bitcoin for 100 days, showcasing early adoption challenges.

Bitcoin Heist (2016): A Vietnamese action-comedy about hackers chasing a crypto criminal, blending humor and thrills.

Notes

Documentaries are generally more educational, focusing on Bitcoin’s history, blockchain technology, and real-world implications. They’re great for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Feature films often dramatize crypto’s association with crime or scams, sometimes oversimplifying or exaggerating for effect. They prioritize entertainment over accuracy.

For a deeper dive, check streaming platforms like Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or YouTube, where many of these are available.

News

Wall Street (Movie)

Key Details:

Cast: Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko), Charlie Sheen (Bud Fox), Daryl Hannah (Darien Taylor), Martin Sheen (Carl Fox). Runtime: 2h 6m. Genre: Drama/Crime. Rating: R. Box Office: ~$44 million (US).

Awards: Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Notable Aspects:

Gekko’s “Greed is good” speech is iconic, reflecting 1980s excess.

Inspired by real-life figures like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.

A sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), continued the story.

Where to Watch (as of 2025):

Streaming: Available on platforms like Peacock or rentable on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV (check current availability). Physical: DVD/Blu-ray via retailers like Amazon.

News

Gold, copper, & silver: How metals are moving this year

News

Best Quotes

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

"Bottoms in the investment world don't end with four-year lows; they end with 10- or 15-year lows." — Jim Rogers

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

Media Man

"Everything is a gamble" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

Markets and Cryptos

Markets:

April 23, 2025

ASX futures up 103 points/1.3% to 7939
AUD -0.7% at US63.68¢
BTC +4.5% to $US91,358
Dow +2.7%
S&P +2.1%
NAS +2.5%
Gold -1.5% to $US3371.27 an ounce
Oil +1.5% at $US67.22 a barrel
Iron ore -0.7% at $US98.65 a ton

Cryptos Today:

Bitcoin $91,075.31 USD +4.29%
ETH $1,695.23 USD +7.53%
Tether $1.00 USD -0.02%
XRP $2.16 USD +3.57%
BNB $607.70 USD +1.95%
Solana $144.34 USD +5.47%
USD Coin $0.9994 USD -0.08%
Dogecoin $0.1728 USD +9.13%

Crypto, Fintech, Markets, News and Politics via Media Man

March 12/13, 2025

The crypto bounces back from extreme fear

Market picture

The cryptocurrency market bounced 2% in the last 24 hours to $2.67 trillion. So far, the situation looks like a small rebound after the collapse. We should not talk about the beginning of recovery as long as the market is below its 200-day moving average of $2.83 trillion.

Sentiment in the crypto market has shifted from dread to fear at 34. The indicator was last higher more than three weeks ago, indicating that now is a good time to buy. However, it's worth paying attention to the nervous stock market before considering investments in more volatile cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin was climbing above $83,000 on Tuesday, hitting resistance in the form of the 200-day moving average. If a long-term trend line is repurposed as resistance, that's a worrisome bearish fact.

Ethereum ended Tuesday with growth and was trading near $1900 at the start of Wednesday, but this is a timid rebound within the steep peak the coin has been in since February 24th and the broader downtrend of the past three months.

News Background

CryptoQuant states a sharp drop in open interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum futures, suggesting a ‘leverage washout’ and a chance of market stabilisation. The Kobeissi Letter admits a wave of short position unwinding in risk assets after extreme fear levels are reached.

Clearstream, the post-trading arm of Deutsche Börse, will offer cryptocurrency settlement and custody services to institutional clients as early as next month, starting with Bitcoin and Ethereum. It then plans to add support for other cryptocurrencies and services for staking, lending and brokerage.

Glassnode notes that Solana fell below its realised price of $134 for the first time in three years. The metrics show the average cost for investors to purchase the coin.

According to Arkham Intelligence, on 11 March, bankrupt exchange Mt. Gox transferred 11,501 BTC (~$905 million) to an unknown address. Mt. Gox-related addresses hold a total of 35,915 BTC worth $2.89bn. (FxPro)

News

SEC vs Ripple Case: Negotiations Underway for Settlement

Recent developments indicate that the legal dispute between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could be nearing a conclusion. Reports suggest that Ripple's legal team is currently negotiating more favorable terms related to a $125 million fine and an injunction on XRP sales to institutional investors. The anticipation of a settlement has led to increased interest and speculation within the cryptocurrency community regarding the outcome and its potential impact on XRP. (Grok)

News

U.S. Plans Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Acquisition

Senator Cynthia Lummis has reintroduced the BITCOIN Act, which proposes that the United States government purchase one million Bitcoins over five years to create a strategic reserve. This legislative move reflects a growing acknowledgment of Bitcoin as a digital asset for national economic strategy, garnering support from both traditional financial sectors and cryptocurrency advocates. Alongside this, there is an ongoing debate about the implications, risks, and potential benefits of such a reserve. (Grok)

News

Trump's Crypto Banking Deregulation

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to sign an executive order that would reverse regulations set by the Biden administration aimed at restricting banking activities for cryptocurrency firms. This move could impact how crypto companies interact with the Federal Reserve, potentially leading to greater integration of cryptocurrencies within the traditional financial system. (Grok)

News

Rumble's Strategic Bitcoin Acquisition

Rumble, a video platform and competitor to YouTube, has announced the purchase of 188 Bitcoins for approximately $17.1 million. This acquisition is part of Rumble's strategy to integrate Bitcoin into its treasury management, aiming to hedge against inflation and participate in the growing trend of corporate cryptocurrency adoption. The move reflects a broader acceptance of Bitcoin as a legitimate financial asset among companies. (Grok)

News

Trump Predicts Market Surge Amid Economic Indicators

President Trump has publicly stated his belief that the U.S. financial markets are poised for significant growth, making his comments at an event with business leaders. This optimistic forecast follows recent economic indicators showing inflation cooling to levels not seen in years, despite mixed responses from markets regarding Trump's economic policies including tariffs. (Grok)

News

Ethereum's Lowest BTC Ratio Since 2020 Triggers Liquidation Risk

The Ethereum Foundation faces potential liquidation of over $100 million in assets if Ethereum's price drops to $1,100, amidst a historic low in the ETH/BTC trading ratio not seen since May 2020. This financial maneuver is part of Ethereum's strategy to manage its treasury through decentralized finance (DeFi), highlighting both the risks and innovative approaches to crypto-asset management in a volatile market. (Grok)

News

Gold funds burst out of the blocks in 2025 as returns rocket

Australian gold funds are shaping up for a bumper year as mining companies start to capitalise on record prices, helping the stocks to finally catch up to the performance of the precious metal.

Portfolio managers were left frustrated last year after a jump in production costs held back ASX-listed gold producers from riding the rally in the spot prices to record levels. The VanEck Gold Miners exchange-traded fund climbed nearly 20 per cent in 2024 versus a 38 per cent rally for the gold price in Australian dollars.

But easing cost inflation that has plagued the mining sector for the last three years and an ongoing surge in prices has seen the trend reverse course. VanEck’s Gold Miners ETF is up 17 per cent already this year while the Aussie dollar spot price has climbed 6.3 per cent.

Local fund managers are bullish that gold has much further to run after the US dollar price climbed above $US2942 an ounce for the first time and the Australian dollar gold price breached $4500 an ounce.

Victor Smorgon Partners’ Resource Gold Fund returned a chunky 13.3 per cent in January and portfolio manager Cameron Judd believes the valuations of ASX gold stocks still don’t reflect the outlook for the yellow metal.

“Gold’s performance in times of uncertainty or crisis could see it push towards $US3600,” Mr Judd said. “Despite the strong gold price performance and fundamentals supporting further appreciation, gold miners are trading at discounted valuations on the ASX.”

Wall Street’s biggest banks believe a $US3000 price tag is imminent. Citi said it was possible within the next three months, while JPMorgan has a year-end target of $US3150. Bank of America said on Thursday that gold could reach $US3500 an ounce if investment demand rises 10 per cent this year.

The unprecedented surge in the gold price has been fuelled by investors seeking safe haven assets as US President Donald Trump unleashes aggressive trade and geopolitical policies. There are fears the president will accelerate inflation, forcing central banks to raise rates in a way that damages global growth.

Victor Smorgon’s top holdings include ASX-listed Vault Minerals and the world’s largest gold miner, US-based Newmont, which recently acquired Newcrest. The fund also owns Australia’s biggest gold miner Northern Star, which agreed to buy rival De Grey in a $5 billion deal. (AFR) *Full article and coverag via subscription to The Australian Financial Review.

News

Australia

Northern Star paying top dollar for gold rival

Northern Star has offered $5 billion to buy De Grey Mining, with De Grey shareholders to vote on the offer on 16 April. De Grey is the company behind the Hemi gold prospect in Western Australia, which is thought to hold at least 11 million ounces of gold and which is slated to produce 530,000 ounces annually in its first decade of operation. KPMG, which was engaged to provide an independent assessment of Northern Star's offer, has valued DeGrey at between $4 billion and $4.79 billion, inclusive of a premium for control. It concludes that the offer is "fair and reasonable and therefore is in the best interests of De Grey shareholders, in the absence of a superior proposal". (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

March 12, 2025

Crypto market tumbles after stocks

Market picture

Crypto market capitalisation has been falling to $2.5 trillion following the rumbling fall of the US stock market. It is dipping below the peaks of early 2024 and late 2021. Previously, a similar decline would complete a corrective pullback, attracting buyers. However, the chances of such an outcome are now lower than in previous years due to the powerful influence of traditional financial companies, which has strengthened the link between the crypto market and stock dynamics.

For now, though, we can argue that there is less terror in crypto. The Fear and Greed Index is at 24 (+4 points for the day), while the low point was a week earlier at 10.

Bitcoin slipped towards $76.5K in the early hours of Tuesday but has popped above $80K at the time of writing, approaching Monday’s consolidation levels. A bearish pattern persists on the daily timeframes, which suggests a strengthening sell-off after a failure under the 200-day moving average. The scenario of a pullback to the $70-74K area still looks the most probable for us. This is all the truer as the consolidation and rebound in early March has taken the short-term oversold stance out of the market.

Ethereum is trying to find a pivot point after falling towards $1750 at the start of Tuesday. These were the lowest values in the last 17 months. On weekly timeframes, the RSI oscillator hit its lowest point since mid-2022 - near the bottom of the bear market. Does this signify an opportunity for the recklessly bold or a breakdown in the leading altcoin? We will find out in the coming days.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global crypto fund investments fell by $876 million last week after record outflows of $2.911 billion a week earlier. Investments in Bitcoin fell by $756 million; in Ethereum, by $89 million. Investments in Solana rose by $16 million, in XRP by $6 million, and in Sui by $3 million.

As a result of another recalculation, Bitcoin mining difficulty increased by 1.43% to 112.15T. The growth did not compensate for a 3.15% drop two weeks ago. However, the figure came close to the all-time high of 114.17T reached in January.

Strategy (former MicroStrategy) intends to raise $21bn through the sale of preferred shares as part of its At-The-Market program. The proceeds will be used to buy Bitcoin and other corporate purposes. (FxPro)

News

March 11, 2025

US Senator And Congressman Introduce Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Bills To Buy One Million BTC

Speaking at the “Bitcoin for America” summit, lawmakers announced their plans to create a federal bitcoin reserve that would see the U.S. buy one million BTC.

Today at the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s “Bitcoin for America” summit in Washington DC, U.S. Senator from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis announced that she is going to reintroduce her strategic Bitcoin reserve legislation in the Senate today.

“I am so pleased to announce that today I will be reintroducing The Bitcoin Act,” Senator Lummis stated. “And I’ll be joined here shortly by Senator Justice of West Virginia, who is one of the cosponsors. And we have several other additional cosponsors. And a lot of it is a result of the excitement that’s been building.” (Bitcoin Magazine). *Full article via Bitcoin Magazine

News

XRP wins Media Man 'Crypto Of The Month' award

News

Markets

Australian Dollar: $0.6317 USD (up $0.0020 USD)
Iron Ore Apr Spot Price (SGX): $100.60 USD (up $0.15 USD)
Oil (WTI): $67.70 USD (up $1.14 USD)
Gold: $2,931.74 USD (up $13.03 USD)
Copper (CME): $4.8425 USD (up $0.0500 USD)
Bitcoin: $82,880.91USD (up 0.32% in last 24 hours)
Dow Jones: 41,350.93 (down 82.55 points)

News

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Company Of The Month' award

News Media

Australia

Peter Dutton More Crypto Friendly And Switched On Than Albanese (Media Man Group)

News

"Dutton A Genuine Contender" (Sky News Australia)

March 10, 2025

ASX futures are pointing up 69 points, or by 0.9 per cent, to 8011.

All US prices are as of 4.15pm Sunday in New York:

Bitcoin -3.7% to $US83,138
On Wall St: Dow +0.5% S&P +0.6% Nasdaq +0.7%
VIX -1.5 to 23.37
Gold -0.1% to $US2909.10 an ounce
Brent oil +1.3% to $US70.36 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% to $US100.70 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.3% Australia 4.4%

January 10, 2025

ASX futures up 33 points or 0.4%

AUD -0.3% to 61.98 US cents
UK pound -0.4% to $US1.2309
Bitcoin -2.9% to $US91,275 at 7.23am AEDT
US markets closed for Jimmy Carter’s funeral
Stoxx 50 +0.4% FTSE +0.8% DAX -0.1% CAC +0.5%
Spot gold +0.3% to $US2671.00/oz at 1.55pm in New York
Brent crude +1.2% to $US77.08 a barrel
Iron ore +1% to $US97.40 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.69% Australia 4.48% Germany 2.56%
US prices as of 1.59pm in New York

Markets and Commodities

October 10, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6710 USD (down $0.0040 USD)

Iron Ore Nov Spot Price (SGX): $105.15 USD (unchanged - public holiday)

Oil Price (WTI): $73.36 USD (down $0.55 USD)

Gold Price: $2,607.14 USD (down $15.75 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.4080 USD (down 0.0605 USD)

Bitcoin: $60,908.07 USD (down 2.11% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 42,512.00 at 4.20pm NY time (up 431.63 points on yesterday's close)

Mining News

Mining industry ‘critical’ to future energy transition

Breton Technology Middle East and Australia Chairman Lance Kawaguchi says the mining industry is “critical” to the future energy transition.

A prominent tech and manufacturing company is pushing the boundaries of sustainable mining globally through the deployment of battery-electric machinery and advanced autonomous technology.

“Our mission is to try to do our part to be sustainable,” Mr Kawaguchi told Sky News Australia.

“What we are trying to do is to find solutions ... to still be able to mine but reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption.”

Media Man: Sky's the limited with the right resources, media and business associates, vision and hard and smart work!

News

Mining via Grok

Mining is an essential industry that involves the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth. Here's an overview based on general knowledge and contemporary information:

Methods of Mining:

Underground Mining: Used for deep mineral deposits. This method involves creating shafts or tunnels to reach the ore. It's more expensive and can be hazardous but is necessary for high-value minerals located deep underground.

Open Surface (Pit) Mining: Best for minerals located near the surface. This method creates an open pit to extract the ore. It's generally safer and less expensive than underground mining when the ore body is near the surface.

Placer Mining: Utilizes water to extract minerals, typically gold, from sediments in river channels or other alluvial deposits.

In-Situ Mining: Involves dissolving the mineral resource in place using chemicals and then processing it at the surface without moving the rock. This method is often used for uranium.

Environmental Impact:

Mining has significant environmental impacts:

Land Disturbance: Open pits, spoil heaps, and tailings change landscapes dramatically, often leading to deforestation and habitat destruction.

Water Pollution: Mining can lead to acid mine drainage, where acids and heavy metals leach into water sources, which is harmful to aquatic life and human health.

Air Pollution: Dust from mining operations can affect air quality, and processing some ores releases harmful gases.

Rehabilitation: Modern mining practices often include plans for land rehabilitation post-mining, though the success of these efforts can vary widely.

Technological and Economic Aspects:

Technology: Modern mining uses advanced technology for exploration (like satellite imagery, geophysical methods), extraction (automated machinery), and processing (bioleaching, for instance).

Economics: Mining can be extremely lucrative, driving economic growth in many regions. However, the volatility in mineral prices can lead to boom-and-bust cycles in mining-dependent communities.

Energy Transition: There's an increasing focus on mining due to the demand for minerals critical for renewable energy technologies (like lithium for batteries).

Social and Political Dynamics:

Labor: Mining often employs significant numbers of workers, but conditions can be tough, leading to labor disputes. Automation in mining aims to reduce human risk but also affects employment.

Community Impact: Mining operations can bring development to remote areas but also social displacement, health issues, and conflicts over land use and water rights.

International Relations: Countries rich in resources can become focal points for international partnerships or competition, as seen with rare earth elements or, historically, with uranium, like the recent interest in Niger's uranium by countries like Turkey.

Bitcoin and Cryptomining:

Unlike traditional mining, cryptocurrency mining involves solving complex mathematical problems to validate transactions on the blockchain, which requires significant computational power and energy. Recent X posts highlight a growing intersection between digital and physical mining worlds through themes like Bitcoin mining games and the environmental debate around the energy consumption of crypto mining.

This overview captures the multifaceted nature of mining, from its methodologies to its broader implications on society, technology, environment, and global politics. (Grok)

News/Profile via Grok

Mining Industry

The mining industry continues to evolve, influenced by various economic, environmental, technological, and regulatory factors:

Technological Advancements: The industry is seeing a push towards automation and the use of advanced machinery, aiming for efficiency, safety, and reduced environmental impact. Technologies like autonomous drilling systems, AI for exploration and mine planning, and IoT for real-time monitoring of equipment are becoming more common.

Environmental Concerns and Sustainability: There's increasing pressure for the mining industry to adopt more sustainable practices. This includes efforts to reduce water usage, lower emissions, rehabilitate mined lands, and use renewable energy sources in mining operations. The concept of "green mining" is gaining traction, where the focus is on minimizing the environmental footprint throughout the lifecycle of a mine.

Regulatory Changes: Governments around the world are updating mining laws to boost growth while ensuring environmental protection and community rights. For instance, as seen in posts on X, Indonesia has updated its mining regulations to streamline operations but also to ensure compliance and environmental protection.

Demand for Critical Minerals: The rise in demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies has shifted focus towards minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. These are crucial for batteries and electronics, leading to what might be described as a new mining boom for these specific resources.

Economic Impact and Market Dynamics: The mining sector's health often serves as a barometer for global economic activity. Recent sentiment, as reflected on platforms like X, indicates optimism with expectations of increased investment in the sector, though there are calls for more favorable conditions like lower power tariffs and stable policies.

Supply Shortfalls: There's growing concern over supply shortfalls for several key metals due to insufficient current mining output to meet the rising demand, especially for those used in high-tech products and green technologies.

Investment and Expansion: The industry is looking at significant expansion, with equipment industries related to mining expected to grow by a substantial margin. This growth is driven not just by traditional mining but also by the need for new mines to meet the demand for metals critical for the tech and green industries.

Global Perspective: While the U.S. remains a significant player, countries like Australia, with its gold rushes in the past, and now regions in Africa and South America, are central to the global supply of various minerals. The strategic importance of mining in national economies and for global supply chains continues to be a focal point in geopolitical discussions.

Social License to Operate: Mining companies are increasingly aware of the need for a social license, meaning gaining community and societal approval, not just regulatory permits. This involves better engagement with local communities, more transparent operations, and contributing positively to the areas they operate in.

Remember, while these insights reflect general trends and sentiments, the mining industry's specifics can vary greatly by region, the mineral in question, and current global economic conditions. Always consider the latest reports and local news for the most current state of affairs in the mining sector. (Grok)

News

Bitcoin Mining Profile And News via Grok

Bitcoin mining is the process by which new bitcoins are entered into circulation, but it's also a critical component of the maintenance and development of the blockchain ledger. Here's a simplified overview of how it works:

Transaction Verification: Miners collect transactions broadcasted to the network into a block. They verify that these transactions are legitimate according to the rules of the Bitcoin network (e.g., checking for double-spending).

Creating a Block: Once a set of transactions are verified, they are added to a block. Each block contains a reference to the previous block, forming a chain (hence, blockchain).

Proof of Work: Miners must solve a complex mathematical puzzle that requires significant computational power. This puzzle is essentially finding a hash that meets certain criteria (the hash must start with a certain number of zeros). The difficulty of this puzzle adjusts to ensure that a new block is mined approximately every 10 minutes.

Hash: A hash is a function that converts an input of letters and numbers into an encrypted output of a fixed length. In Bitcoin, the SHA-256 hashing function is used.

Finding the Solution: The first miner to solve the puzzle gets to place the next block on the blockchain and claim the rewards. This process involves a lot of trial and error, with miners adjusting a value called the "nonce" in the block header to try to produce a hash that meets the criteria.

Rewards: The successful miner is rewarded with:
Block Reward: A set amount of newly minted bitcoins. This reward halves approximately every four years in what's known as the "halving." As of my last update, the block reward was 6.25 bitcoins, but by 2024, it would have halved again if the schedule continued as planned.
Transaction Fees: All the transaction fees from the transactions included in the block.

Energy Consumption: Bitcoin mining is notorious for its energy consumption due to the computational power required for proof of work. This has led to discussions about the environmental impact of Bitcoin.

Mining Pools: Because the probability of mining a block solo has become very low due to the network's total computational power, many miners join mining pools. Here, miners combine their computational resources and share the block rewards according to the amount of work they contributed to the probability of finding a block.

Equipment: Over time, mining has evolved from using CPUs to GPUs, FPGAs, and now ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), which are designed specifically for mining and offer significant efficiency improvements.

Decentralization and Security: The mining process helps to secure the network by making it economically infeasible to attack or alter the blockchain. For an attacker to change any part of the blockchain, they would need to redo the proof of work for all subsequent blocks and outpace the honest nodes, which is impractical without controlling more than 50% of the network's mining power.

Since we're now in 2024, if there have been significant changes or updates to Bitcoin mining practices, technology, or regulations since my last update, those would be worth checking out for the most current information. Would you like me to search for any recent developments in Bitcoin mining? (Grok)

#Mining #MiningNews #MiningIndustry #MiningStocks #Energy #Resources #Technology #Innovation #Blockchaing #Bitcoin #BTC #newsfeed #newsfeeds #newswire #Grok #MiningPR #PR #News #media #mediaman #mediamanint #XMining

Cryptocurrency News via Media Man and FxPro

September 18. 2024

The crypto market gets a boost from stocks

Market Picture

The crypto market has gained 2.1% in the last 24 hours to reach $2.08 trillion. The rise in the stock market has brought buyers back to Bitcoin, which has positively impacted cryptocurrencies. The sentiment index is still in the fear zone, but at 45, it is already close to neutral territory. This shows that it is lagging stocks where sentiment has shifted to 'greed'.

Bitcoin surpassed $60K, accelerating sharply at the start of the US session. The price peaked at $61.3K before retreating to $60.4K at the time of writing.

Despite some pullback, bitcoin has broken above its 50-day moving average, suggesting significant upside potential. However, it isn't easy to rely on today's technical picture ahead of the Fed's interest rate decision on Wednesday evening. The next important level is likely to be around the $64K, where the late August high and the 200-day average are located.

News Background

JPMorgan sees bitcoin hash rate growth slowing as miner revenues remain at historic lows. Meanwhile, US Bitcoin miners' share of the network hash rate rose for the fifth consecutive month to 26.7%, an all-time high.

MicroStrategy will place $700 million in four-year unsecured convertible notes to acquire additional bitcoins and fund general corporate purposes.

According to Arkham, the Bhutanese government's bitcoin holdings amount to 13,036 BTC ($770 million), almost three times El Salvador's reserves. The country has the world's fourth-largest stockpile of BTCs, derived from mining by a sovereign wealth fund.

The crypto industry is no longer able to provide 'dopamine' to either developers or traders. That is why it is in crisis, said CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju. According to him, the crypto industry is gradually turning into a 'gambling den'.

Developers Curve Finance and TON Foundation will create a platform for trading stablecoins on the TON blockchain. The new initiative will meet the growing demand for stablecoins and increase the liquidity and popularity of the network's Web3 ecosystem.

Markets and Commodities

September 11, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6650 USD (down $0.0010 USD)

Iron Ore Oct Spot Price (SGX): $91.00 USD (down $1.35 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $66.31 USD (down $2.49 USD)

Gold Price: $2,516.51 USD (up $11.13 USD

Copper Price (CME): $4.1050 USD (down 0.0365 USD)

Bitcoin: $57,669.72 USD (down 0.38% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 40,736.96 at 4.59pm NY time (down 92.63 points on yesterday's close)

Market, Commodities and Financial News

Snapshot via Media Man

September 11, 2024

ASX futures down 3 points or 0.04% to 7997 near 6am AEST

AUD -0.1% to 66.58 US cents

Bitcoin +1.4% to $US57,885

Dow -0.3%

S&P +0.4%

Nasdaq +0.8%

FTSE -0.8%

DAX -1.0%

CAC -0.2%

Gold +0.3% to $US2514.88 an ounce

Brent oil -3.2% to $US69.52 a barrel

Iron ore -0.8% to $US91.00 a tonne

News

Finance / World Business News

Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro

A strong current account surplus may not help euro

The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.

The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.

The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.

Gold

Gold rises but within a downward channel

Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.

At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.

The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.

Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place.

Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.

However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.

Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.

On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.

Cryptocurrency

Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows

Market picture

The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.

Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.

Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.

According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week.
Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.

Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.

News background

Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.
According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.

Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.

Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.

Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media

Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US

Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators

21 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)
Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)

Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)

Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)

New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas

Market Research Update

20 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family".

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)

Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade

21 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.

Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore

Roy Morgan Summary

It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.

More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million

21 February 2024

Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago).

These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.

New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas

Market Research Update

20 February 2024

Roy Morgan Summary

(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)

Roy Morgan Summary

One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.

(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)

Media Man

Warrner Bros

Profile

In 2010, the Warner Bros. Pictures Group broke the all-time industry worldwide box office record with receipts of $4.814 billion, which surpassed the prior record of $4.010 billion (set by the Studio in 2009). Warner Bros. also established a new industry benchmark for the international box office with a total of $2.93 billion (marking a record third time of crossing the $2 billion threshold) and retained its leading domestic box office ranking with receipts of $1.884 billion. 2010 also marked the 10th consecutive year Warner Bros. Pictures passed the billion dollar mark at both the domestic and international box offices. Warner Home Video was, once again, the industry’s leader, with an overall 20.6 percent marketshare in total DVD and Blu-ray sales. The companies comprising the Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group remain category leaders, working across all platforms and outlets, and are trendsetters in the digital realm with video-on-demand (transaction and ad-supported), branded channels, original content, anti-piracy technology and broadband and wireless destinations.

The Warner Bros. Pictures Group brings together the Studio’s motion picture production, marketing and distribution operations into a single entity. The Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures International, was formed to streamline the Studio’s film production process and bring those businesses’ organizational structures in line with Warner Bros.’ television and home entertainment operations.

Warner Bros. Pictures produces and distributes a wide-ranging slate of some 18-22 films each year, employing a business paradigm that mitigates risk while maximizing productivity and capital. Warner Bros. Pictures either fully finances or co-finances the films it produces and maintains worldwide distribution rights. It also monetizes its distribution and marketing operations by distributing films that are totally financed and produced by third-parties. The Studio’s 2011 slate includes “Sucker Punch,” “The Hangover Part II,” “Green Lantern,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” “Happy Feet 2” and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Warner Bros. Pictures International is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films, operating offices in more than 30 countries and releasing films in over 120 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures.

New Line Cinema, part of Warner Bros. Entertainment since 2008, coordinates its development, production, marketing, distribution and business affairs activities with Warner Bros. Pictures to maximize film performance and operating efficiencies. Highlights of New Line’s 2011 release slate, distributed by Warner Bros., include “Horrible Bosses,” “Final Destination 5,” “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” and “New Year’s Eve.”

The Warner Bros. Television Group oversees and grows the entire portfolio of Warner Bros.’ television businesses, including worldwide production, traditional and digital distribution, and broadcasting. In the traditional television arena, WBTVG produces primetime and cable (Warner Bros. Television and Warner Horizon Television), first-run syndication (Telepictures Productions) and animated (Warner Bros. Animation) programming, which is distributed worldwide by two category-leading distribution arms/operations (Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution).

Among the primetime series produced by divisions of the Warner Bros. Television Group are “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Mentalist,” “Mike & Molly,” “Fringe,” “Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Nikita,” “The Middle,” “Southland,” “The Closer,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Supernatural,” “The Bachelor,” “Pretty Little Liars,” “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew” and many more. Also produced by the company are first-run syndicated programs such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “TMZ” and “Extra,” among others, as well as animated shows “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” and “Young Justice.”

WBTVG is an innovative leader in developing new business models for the evolving television landscape, including ad-supported video-on-demand, broadband and wireless, and has digital distribution agreements in place with all of the broadcast networks. Internationally, the Studio is one of the world’s largest distributors of feature films, television programs and animation to the worldwide television marketplace, licensing some 50,000 hours of television programming, including more than 6,000 feature films and 50 current series, dubbed or subtitled in more than 40 languages, to telecasters and cablecasters in more than 175 countries.

WBTVG provides original shortform programming for the broadband and wireless marketplace through its Studio 2.0 digital venture, and its digital media sales unit is devoted specifically to multiplatform domestic advertiser sales for both broadband and wireless. WBTVG continues its strategic expansion into digital production and distribution with the launch of several advertiser-supported entertainment destinations, including TheWB.com, a premium, video-on-demand interactive and personalized network and KidsWB.com, a premium destination built around youth-oriented immersive entertainment.

The final component of WBTVG is broadcasting: The CW Television Network, launched (in partnership with CBS) in September 2006 with quality, diverse programming, is targeted to the 18–34 audience.

Warner Bros. Animation’s combined classic and contemporary library currently boasts 14,000 animated episodes and shorts which air on domestic broadcast networks, as well as cable networks and in direct-to-video releases around the world. The classic library includes such brands as Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears as well as such beloved characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Taz, Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Batman, Superman, the Flintstones, the Jetsons and Scooby-Doo.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s home video (Warner Home Video), digital distribution (Warner Bros. Digital Distribution), interactive entertainment/videogames (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment), direct-to-consumer production (Warner Premiere), technical operations (Warner Bros. Technical Operations) and anti-piracy (Warner Bros. Anti-Piracy Operations) businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and transactional VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels. It is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.

In 2010, Warner Home Video dominated the U.S. market as the number one company in total sell-through video (DVD and Blu-ray combined) with 20.6% marketshare, theatrical catalog, TV on DVD, non-theatrical family and animation, Blu-ray and VOD. WHV has been the number one studio in overall DVD sales 14 consecutive years, and is also the leading studio in the international home video space.

With more than 3,700 active licensees worldwide, Warner Bros. Consumer Products licenses the rights to names, likenesses and logos for all of the intellectual properties in Warner Bros. Entertainment’s vast film and television library. With a global network of offices and agents in key regions throughout the world, including North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe, WBCP maintains an ongoing commitment to expand and build the power of its core brands’ recognition in the international marketplace through strong and creative merchandising, promotional marketing and retail programs.

DC Entertainment’s DC Comics has been in continuous publication for more than 60 years, and is the leading comic book publisher in the industry and the creator of some of the world’s most recognized icons. DC’s characters continue to headline blockbuster feature films, live-action and animated television series, direct-to-video releases, collectors’ books, online entertainment, digital publishing, countless licensing and marketing arrangements and, most recently, graphic novels. DC continues to attract new readers and fans all over the world with its signature characters Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Justice League leading the way.

Warner Bros. International Cinemas provides a true state-of-the-art movie experience to audiences in Japan with more than 60 multiplex cinemas and more than 600 screens internationally. One of the pioneers in multiplex development for the international marketplace, WBIC is continually exploring new markets for expansion. (Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment)

Press Release

09 August 2010

MICROGAMING SET TO LAUNCH THE LORD OF THE RINGS™: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING ONLINE VIDEO SLOT GAME

First Title to Utilize Proprietary Cinematic Spins™ Technology Allowing Players to Experience the Film with Every Spin

ISLE OF MAN – Microgaming today announced the imminent launch of a new flagship game, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Online Video Slot Game. This slot game is the first to utilise Microgaming’s new Cinematic Spins™ technology, allowing gamers to see clips from the films with every spin.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a new online slot game that is part of a multi-year licensing agreement Microgaming signed with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution in 2009. The company is developing a series of cutting-edge, graphic rich video slots based on this popular movie trilogy and will use animation material, themes, and characters, from the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings™ motion pictures that include The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. These online slot games will be available to adults only in countries where online gaming is permitted.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first online video slot to use Microgaming’s Cinematic Spins™ state-of-the-art gaming technology. This allows movie clips to act as moving backgrounds behind the reels during spins providing players an unprecedented level of excitement and immersion.

Win sequences and expanding wilds also use cinematic clips, instead of traditional animated graphics. The slots feature famous scenes from the film including Ringwraiths during the attack at Weathertop, Balrog in the Mines of Moria, and Uruk-hai in the woods of Middle-earth. Players will also enjoy seeing characters from the films that include Frodo, Aragorn, Saruman and the deadly Black Riders.

Roger Raatgever, CEO Microgaming comments: “Microgaming has always been ahead of the curve with innovative offerings, but this game really does push the boundaries of what an online slot can do. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring looks and feels like an extension of the big screen film experience and we’re confident that our operators will see a great deal of demand from their players, when the game is released. This is an important deal for Microgaming and highlights our commitment to partner with the right brands, at the right time. The Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and well loved brands on the planet and we are excited about combining this widespread appeal with Microgaming’s groundbreaking software.”

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy generated $3 billion in worldwide box office receipts and was nominated for a total of 30 Academy Awards®; of which they won 17, including Best Picture.

- Ends -
Notes to editors:
*Cinematic Spins is a trademark held by Microgaming

© 2010 New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc.

For further information please contact:
Duncan Skehens / Laura Moss/ Lyndsay Haywood
Lansons Communications
020 7490 8828
DuncanS@lansons.com / LauraM@lansons.com / LyndsayH@lansons.com
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution

Peter Binazeski
818-977-5701
peter.binazeski@warnerbros.com
About Microgaming (www.microgaming.com)
Since the company developed the first true online Casino software over a decade ago, it has led the industry in providing innovative, reliable gaming solutions. Thanks to an unrivalled R&D programme, that averages 60 games per year and a unique ‘partnership’ approach to working with operators; Microgaming software powers over 160 market-leading online gaming sites.
The company’s front and back-end software supports multi-player, multi-language games - over 500 of them, all uniquely branded and provides platforms for land-based and wireless gaming. Microgaming powers the world’s largest Progressive Jackpot Network and has paid out over €265million. In May 2009 it created the biggest ever online jackpot winner with a single payment win of €6.37m.

As a founding member of eCOGRA, Microgaming is at the forefront of an initiative focused on setting the highest standards in the gaming industry, and leads in the areas of fair gaming, responsible operator conduct and player protection. Microgaming has been awarded eCOGRA’s Certified Software Seal following a rigorous onsite assessment to ensure that the development, implementation and maintenance of the software is representative of industry best practice standards Microgaming licensees are therefore eligible to apply for the eCOGRA Safe & Fair Seal.

About Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) manages Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group's (WBHEG) electronic distribution over existing, new and emerging digital platforms, including pay-per-view, electronic sell-through, video-on-demand, wireless and more. WBDD also oversees the WBHEG's worldwide digital strategy, partnerships in digital services and emerging new clients and business activities in the digital space.

News

2009

With Time Warner sitting on $7 billion in cash, the Marvel deal has ignited rumours of a second wave of consolidation in the media industry. Dream Works Animation, home of Shrek, is seen as a potential takeover candidate, as is MGM with its huge library of classic films. The games firms Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive, with its Grand Theft Auto franchise, are also being touted as potential buys.

Profile

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.) is one of the world's largest producers of film and television entertainment.

It is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank, California and New York City. Warner Bros. has several subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Home Video, TheWB.com and DC Comics. Warner owns half of The CW Television Network.

Founded in 1918 by Jewish immigrants from Poland, Warner Bros. is the third-oldest American movie studio in continuous operation, after Paramount Pictures, founded in 1912 as Famous Players, and Universal Studios, also founded in 1912.