Showing posts with label contentworks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contentworks. Show all posts

Crypto October 2020 Outlook – What’s Next After a Weak Performance in September?

Welcome to the October Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain...

Digital currencies put on a relatively weak performance in September. In total, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices dropped by ~4%, ~6%, and 8%, respectively. But it wasn’t only cryptos. Gold and silver fell by ~4% and ~16%, respectively and the S&P 500 and Dow Jones also disappointed during the month.

Bitcoin, Ripple, Ethereum September performance


Why digital currencies lagged in September

There were two main reasons why digital currencies declined in September. First, it was because of the overall weakness of the financial market. As mentioned above, main global assets also declined in September.

That decline was largely because of reports of a second wave of covid-19 in some countries like the United Kingdom and Spain. Also, the rising political temperatures in the United States and the geopolitical tensions between the United States and China helped put stocks in defensive mode. Most importantly, reports that Softbank was responsible for the rally in tech stocks pushed some investors to exit their positions.

Second, digital currencies declined because of the stronger US dollar. After months of falling, the dollar index managed to rise by about 2% in September. That was because of renewed interest in the currency as the risks mentioned above rose. A stronger dollar tends to affect the price of dollar-dominated assets like cryptos and precious metals.

DeFi concerns 

Separately, Ethereum prices declined because of renewed questions about the Decentralised Finance (DeFi). This is among the fastest-growing industries in the world that has accumulated more than $11 billion in assets. Most DeFi programs are built using the Ethereum protocol. As such, the price dropped as some analysts started to equate the industry to the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) bubble.

At the same time, Ethereum developers continued testing the mainnet release scheduled for the coming months. Still, some analysts warn that the development that will transition the network from proof-of-work (POW) to proof-of-stake (POS); is not yet ready.

Outlook for October

While digital currencies dropped in September, they received some support from the Federal Reserve and congress. In September, Jerome Powell committed that the Fed would leave interest rates low for at least three more years. In theory, this policy is good for cryptocurrencies because it weakens the dollar and boosts inflation. To most cryptocurrency fans, digital currencies are hedges against inflation.

Second, digital currencies received support from congress, which failed to pass a stimulus package. Without stimulus, some analysts, including Fed officials believe that US growth will start to decline. Data released in September showed that retail sales, home sales, and the services sector started to slow in August when the enhanced jobless benefits increased. As such, a deteriorating American economy without support from congress will leave the Fed as the only game in town.

So, in October, we will continue to focus on the strength of the US dollar, talks on stimulus in congress, and the Federal Reserve. Also, we will continue to focus on any developments about the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade. Most importantly, crypto enthusiasts will focus on security issues. This is after a major hack happened in Singapore that led to disappearance of digital currencies worth more than $150 million.

Key Cryptocurrency Events To Watch

everal key events to watch this month will be the Los Angeles blockchain summit on October 7, CoinDesk Invest on October 22, and World Blockchain Forum on October 31. Most events will happen online because of social distancing restrictions.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

Visit Contentworks at http://www.contentworks.agency


Crypto Outlook September 2020 – What’s Next After the August Calm?

Contentworks crypto outlook
Welcome to the September Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain...

Cryptocurrencies had a relatively muted month in August. In total, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices rose by 3.69%, 19%, and 12%, respectively. This was weaker than their performance in August, when the three currencies rose by 21%, 63%, and 64%, respectively. Other assets like gold, silver, and palladium also lost momentum in August.


At the same time, the US dollar, which has an inverse relationship with these assets continued to fall, moving to the lowest level since 2018. Interestingly, in August, stock indices like S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 outperformed cryptocurrencies.

Fed pledges to leave rates unchanged
A key catalyst for movement in cryptocurrencies happened during the virtual Jackson Hole summit. In his speech, Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, said that the bank will be reluctant to raise rates even if inflation moves to the bank’s target of 2%. While the bank did not provide guidance on when the next rate hike would happen, analysts believe that rates would remain at the current levels for at least five more years.

Low interest rates encourage consumer and business spending because they remove the incentive for saving. As a result, they tend to be better for alternative assets like gold and cryptocurrencies. Therefore, analysts believe that crypto prices will continue rising.

Companies allocate funds into crypto
Most companies pack their funds in treasuries, which are thought to be safe and less volatile instruments. This is changing as some companies started investing part of their cash in cryptos. In August, MicroStrategy, a tech firm valued at more than $1.2 billion announced that it was converting its $250 million into Bitcoin.

While investing in Bitcoin is always risky, companies are comfortable because of the historic performance of the currency. Since its founding, the digital currency has outperformed most assets. They are also comfortable because of the new safe custody services that are being offered by companies like Fidelity and Gemini.

What next for Fidelity Bitcoin index?
In August, Fidelity became the first major company in the US to offer a Bitcoin fund for wealthy clients. The company will begin to offer the Wise Origin Bitcoin Index Fund 1 through its newly created Fidelity Digital Funds. The fund will only be available to qualified purchasers through family offices, institutions and investment advisors. It will also have a minimum investment of $100,000.

The decision by Fidelity to offer these services comes at a time when demand for the assets is rising. For example, in the second quarter, investors poured more than $900 million into Bitcoin funds held by Grayscale Investments. That brought its total assets under management to $4 billion.

Cryptocurrencies events in September
In September, there will be several cryptocurrency-related events. Most of these events will be virtual because of restrictions. Among the most notable events will be the Blockchain for Business Summit in London, TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Berlin Blockchain Week in Germany, and the Blockchain Tech Summit in New York.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradeable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

Visit Contentworks at www.contentworks.agency

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Information Provided via Press Release
Distributed by Global Crypto Press Association Crypto Press Release Distribution for industry.


Will The Crypto Heat Wave Continue!? The August 2020 Crypto Outlook....

Welcome to the August Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

Cryptocurrencies had an excellent month. In July, the total market cap of all cryptocurrencies tracked by CoinMarketCap rose to more than $326 billion from about $260 billion. Ethereum was the best-performing major currency, gaining by 44%, followed by Ripple, whose price rose by 35%. Bitcoin cash and Bitcoin rose by 32% and 25%, respectively.
Crypto price charts

Why Cryptocurrencies Rallied In July

There are several reasons for the current exuberance in the cryptocurrencies industry. First, the US dollar has been in a sharp decline in the past few months. In July, the dollar index, which measures the strength of the currency against a group of peers, declined by 4%. Since cryptocurrencies are usually traded in dollars, a weak dollar tends to be beneficial for them.

Second, cryptocurrencies rose because of the overall mood of alternative assets. For example, in July, key assets like gold, silver, palladium, and copper reached their all-time high. Third, the rising number of coronavirus cases in the United States led many to believe that interest rates will remain lower for longer. Lower interest rates lead to lower real yields. As such, more people moved from treasuries to alternative assets like cryptocurrencies.

Ethereum 2.0 Launch

Ethereum outperformed other cryptocurrencies because of the online enthusiasm about ETH 2.0, which is the first major upgrade to the network. The goal of the upgrade is to make the system faster and more secure to support more smart contracts.

It will do that by moving from the current proof-of-work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake (PoS). The two processes are different because in PoW, miners validate transactions by solving complex calculations. In PoS, validators lock up holdings of the crypto as collateral for the right to validate the transaction.

In July, the developers behind the upgrade released a validator launchpad, which enables people to test the platform. On August 4, the developers will launch the finalised testnet for ETH 2.0. In the past, cryptocurrencies tended to jump ahead of a major event. For example, in May, Bitcoin price rose ahead of the halving event.

US Banks To Provide Crypto Custody Services

In July, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) said that banks in the US could offer custody services for crypto assets. The acting comptroller of OCC said:

“This opinion clarifies that banks can continue satisfying their customers' needs for safeguarding their most valuable assets, which today for tens of millions of Americans includes cryptocurrency."

This was a big deal for two main reasons. Firstly, interest for crypto among large institutions is rising as the industry matures. Second, most US banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have mostly stayed out of cryptocurrencies because of compliance issues. Therefore, with regulatory issues behind them, we will likely see these banks announce their crypto offerings in the coming month.

US Coronavirus Cases And US-China Tensions

In July, crypto investors will be watching the number of coronavirus cases in the US and the escalating tensions between the two superpowers. Cryptocurrencies are likely to continue moving in an upward trend if the number of coronavirus cases in the US continue to rise. That is mostly because it will increase the likelihood that interest rates will remain low for longer. It will also mean that the Fed could continue printing dollars, which is a positive thing for digital assets.

The same is true with the deteriorating relations between the US and China. If they continue worsening, it could lead to disruption of trade, which will also lead to more Fed actions.

Top Crypto Events In August

There will be several cryptocurrencies events in August, most of which will be online. Some of these events are Future Proof, International Conference on Decentralised Applications and Infrastructure (IEEE DAPPS), International Conference on Big Data and Blockchain, and Blockchain World Forum.

Bitcoin August Technical Forecast

The weekly chart shows that Bitcoin’s price has been in an upward trend after bottoming at $3867 in March this year. The price is above the 50-day and 100-day exponential moving averages while the RSI has been rising. Therefore, the pair is likely to continue rising as bulls target the next resistance level at $13,917.

Bitcoin price chart

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

 Visit Contentworks at www.contentworks.agency

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Global Crypto Press / Breaking Crypto News
PR Distribution / Industry Services

Will We See Heat On The Summer Charts?! The July 2020 CRYPTO OUTLOOK...

Welcome to the July Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

The cryptocurrencies sector was relatively calm in June as the world economy started to reopen after months of lockdown. The price of Bitcoin remained below the important resistance level of $10,000 while Ethereum rose by 12%. Ripple declined by more than 7% even as the company announced new plans to expand its remittance gateways.



Ethereum momentum gains ahead of ETH 2.0...
ETH was among the best-performing digital currencies in June as enthusiasm rose over Ethereum 2.0.

For starters, ETH 2.0 is a new software update to the current public mainnet that is intended to improve Ethereum usage and adoption. The most significant change in the system will be Proof of Stake (PoS), which will be implemented by sharding. By implementing PoS, ETH 2.0 will replace miners and electricity with validators and stake. In this, validators will replace miners as the individuals who maintain the agreed-upon state of the network and receive rewards for randomly selecting the next block of data.

ETH 2.0 will be the next big update in the cryptocurrencies space after halving, which happened in May. Therefore, there is a possibility that the price of ETH will continue to rise as enthusiasts wait for the new changes.

Ripple gets ready to expand payment gateways...
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a sharp decline in global remittances. According to the World Bank, total remittances will fall by more than 20% this year as unemployment rates in the developed world rise. However, digital platforms have seen an increase in transactions.

In a statement in June, Asheesh Birla, an executive at Ripple said that the company was moving to expand its remittance gateways to more countries. While the process will take months to implement, traders believe it will lead to more transactions in the XRP platform. In July, we will continue to focus more on these developments.

Coronavirus second wave...
The past three months have been difficult for the world economy. The pandemic also put cryptocurrencies to their biggest test since they were formed a decade ago. That is because, in the past, most analysts were worried about whether the currencies could survive a recession.

In total, Ethereum has been among the best-performing digital assets, gaining by more than 66% in the past three months. Bitcoin is next, having gained by 38% while XRP has gained by just 5%.

In July, the currencies may be tested again as the number of coronavirus cases jump in the United States and elsewhere. In the past week, the country has reported more than 100,000 new cases and more states have started to implement stay-at-home orders. And the CDC has warned that these numbers are underreported.

Therefore, cryptocurrencies could see more movement as the Federal Reserve moves to implement more stimulus funding. There is also a possibility that Washington will implement more stimulus. The chart below shows how the three biggest digital currencies have performed during the pandemic.



Top crypto events in July...
Events have been among the worst-affected sectors in the cryptocurrency industry. In the past few months, events that used to attract thousands of attendees have been replaced by virtual events. In July, with the number of cases rising, most events will remain online.

Among the key events to watch are the Cardano Shelly Summit, which will happen on July 2 and 3.  Binance will host its third “off the charts” events while Unitize will happen between July 06 and 10. Other key events to watch are the Singapore Blockchain Week, Mining Disrupt, and Asia Blockchain Summit. We will also be media partners at the TradeOn virtual event so be sure to join us there!

At Contentworks Agency, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

Visit Contentworks at www.contentworks.agency 

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Global Crypto Press / Breaking Crypto News
PR Distribution / Industry Services

Crypto Outlook - June 2020: Focus To Shift To Monetary Policy And ETH 2.0...

Contentworks crypto outlook
Welcome to the June Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

Bitcoin was the best-performing “major” cryptocurrency in March as its price soared by more than 22%. It was followed by Ethereum, Ripple, and Litecoin, which rose by 9.8%, 1.70%, and 0.50% respectively. In total, the market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies tracked by CoinMarketCap rose from about $250 billion to more than $262 billion.

Bitcoin vs Ripple, Ethereum, and Litecoin
Halving was the biggest news of the month as the number of blocks awarded to Bitcoin miners was cut into half. The price rallied a few days before halving, boosted by positive sentiment from billionaire Paul Tudor Jones, who is famous for predicting the 2008/9 financial crisis. In a CNBC interview, he said that he had invested a substantial amount of money in BTC, mostly because of the current monetary policy by the Fed.

After halving, BTC has remained slightly below the psychological level of $10,000 partly because of indecision between bulls and bears.

Focus shifts to monetary policy
In June, the focus in the cryptocurrencies industry will be on monetary policy. As the coronavirus spread, central bankers started to print unlimited amounts of money to support the market. In the United States, the Fed is printing billions of dollars every week in form of its “open-ended quantitative easing” program.

The balance sheet, which was less than $9 trillion before the 2008/9 financial crisis, has ballooned to more than $7 trillion. And analysts expect the trend to continue like that in the next few months. The same trend is happening in Japan, Europe, United Kingdom, and even Australia.

At the same time, talk of negative interest rates is continuing in the market. In the UK, the BOE governor has not ruled out implementing these rates. In the United States, Jerome Powell has ruled out negative rates. But the futures market believes the bank will implement them in December.

This monetary policy is positive for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. That’s because with yields so low, investors will likely allocate their money in risk assets like crypto. Therefore, in June, crypto enthusiasts will be focusing on central banks and how they navigate the pandemic.

 ETH 2.0 to move Ethereum
After halving, the next big thing in the cryptocurrencies industry will be ETH 2.0 or Ethereum 2.0. This is a major update that will be rolled out in the ETH platform in phases. The first phase, christened as Phase 0, will happen in June or July while Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be launched in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

In the first phase, the so-called Beacon Chain will be implemented. It will be important for the platform because it will store and manage the registry validators and implement the important Proof of Stake mechanism. This will help improve the security and speed of transactions.

While the impact of ETH 2.0 will not be felt immediately, analysts expect the price of ETH to rally ahead of the upgrades.

Top Crypto Events In June
The number of physical events in the cryptocurrencies industry has fallen because of the virus. In their place, several event organisers have shifted their focus to virtual events. One of the biggest events will be Virtual Vision Finance, organised by Ultimate Fintech of iFXEXPO fame. The event will have several high-profile speakers including, Fan Xu, of Saxo Bank, Marc Levin of CFG Group, and Charlotte Day from Contentworks Agency. Other key events will be Blockdown and World Bitcoin Conclave.

Final Thoughts

Bitcoin price has found some resistance below the $10,000 level and its volatility as measured by the Average True Range and Bollinger Bands has been falling. This implies that a breakout, in either direction, will probably happen in June.

At Contentworks Agency our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

Visit Contentworks at www.contentworks.agency

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Information Provided via Press Release
Distributed by Global Crypto Press Association Crypto Press Release Distribution for industry.



Global Crypto Outlook May 2020: Focus shifts to ETH 2.0 After Halving...

Contentworks
Welcome to the May 2020 Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

Cryptocurrencies had a great April. ETH price rose by 50% while Bitcoin, Ripple, and Litecoin rose by more than 20%. In contrast, the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and gold rose by 12%, 10%, and 8% during the month.

Cryptocurrencies gained in April...
There are four main reasons why the price of cryptocurrencies rose in April. First, the overall mood in the market was positive as evidenced by the rising in stocks. Second, there was no major bad news in the industry such as hacking or regulations. Third, crypto enthusiasts are excited about the upcoming bitcoin halving and Ethereum 2.0 protocol that will be launched in the coming months. Finally, the low interest rates and unconventional monetary policy has made more people move to digital currencies.

Halving...
The biggest crypto-related news in May will be about halving. Halving is a process built within the bitcoin network that reduces the number of bitcoins awarded to miners. When it happens, the blocks that miners are awarded are cut into half. As a result, the supply of the digital currency is reduced, which in theory should help raise prices. The past two halving events took place in 2012 and 2016 while the upcoming one will take place on May 12.

In the past, the price of Bitcoin tends to rally ahead of halving. The same is also true for other currencies like Litecoin and bitcoin cash that have halving in their system. As bitcoin price rallies, other digital currencies rise as well.

However, this action tends to fizzle after halving happens as market participants sell the news. Therefore, while bitcoin price may continue rallying, and possibly test $10,000, it is also likely that the price will start weakening after halving happens.

More digital currencies...
The coronavirus pandemic has led to significant changes in the way people operate. Most countries have encouraged their citizens to use digital platforms for payments. The goal is to prevent the transmission of the disease through physical cash. At the same time, more central banks are now starting to increase their focus on creating digital cash. In China, the PBoC has been creating the digital yuan since early 2019. While the project has had several delays, there is a likelihood that it will make an announcement about it in May. Meanwhile, in Sweden, the Riksbank has said that it is developing an e-krona, which will be the digital version of the current currency. Other central banks could announce these measures as countries start to reopen.

ETH 2.0 countdown...
After Bitcoin halving happens, enthusiasts will be focusing on ETH 2.0, which is a new release that will happen in July. The goal of this release will be to remove some of the biggest problems that exist in the Ethereum network especially on speed and scalability. This new release will help solve these problems by introducing a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism and sharding. The proof-of-stake mechanism will help reduce the need for mining equipment while sharding will help boost speed of transactions. According to Vitarik Buterin;

“Imagine that Ethereum has been split into thousands of islands. Each island can do its own thing. Each of the islands has its own unique features and everyone belonging on that island, i.e. the accounts, can interact with each other and they can freely indulge in all its features. If they want to contact with other islands, they will have to use some sort of protocol.”

In May, most physical crypto-related events will not take place because of the coronavirus pandemic. Still, there will be several virtual events during the month. The biggest one will be the annual Consensus event that is held by Coindesk. The virtual event will happen on May 11 to May 15. Some of the key speakers will be Akon, Changpeng Zao of Binance, and Sheila Warren of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Another event will be the Crypto Asia Summit that will happen online between May 18 to 23. The key speakers will be Roger Ver, Da Hong Fei of NEO, and Zac Prince of BlockFi.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

Visit www.contentworks.agency


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Information Provided via Press Release
Distributed by Global Crypto Press Association Press Release Distribution for industry.



March Crypto Outlook: Will Bitcoin's Role as a Haven Continue?


Welcome to the March 2020 Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

Cryptocurrencies saw mixed outcomes in February. In total, Bitcoin rose by 3% while Ethereum and Ripple gained by 3.15% and 34% respectively. Gains made in the first two weeks of the month were erased. As of writing, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple are 16%, 24%, and 32% below their monthly highs.

Will the current bear market remain in the coming month?

Crypto price chart
Many traders focused on coronavirus in February. The disease, which originated in China has infected more than 80k people and killed more than 3,000 around the world. The disease has caused global stocks to tank and safe-haven assets like gold and government bonds rise. Many market participants continue to view Bitcoin as a safe haven. In fact, while Bitcoin has risen by more than 3%, the S&P500 has dropped by more than 5%. The MSCI world index also declined by more than 5%. To some, this is a validation of Bitcoin’s role as a safe haven. We will continue watching these turns of events in March.

Political temperatures in the United States are rising. The Democrats have already carried out three primaries. In the first week of March, we will see the so-called Super Tuesday, where most democrats vote for their preferred candidate. Early results show that Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Socialist from Vermont, will be the flagbearer. Many crypto enthusiasts believe that a Sanders’ win would be positive for crypto. First, his socialist policies are disliked by most stock investors. These investors prefer Joe Biden or Mike Bloomberg, who are relatively moderate. Therefore, investors are likely to rush to safe havens if he wins. Second, Sanders has pledged to provide high speed internet across the country. Such action will likely provide a boom for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

We will continue to watch Ripple in March. We have been watching the currency after its parent company raised $200 million to accelerate its development. In March, we will be following a recent lawsuit that alleged that the company violated securities laws. On Wednesday, Judge Phyllis Hamilton said that the suit will be allowed to move forward. It is still early to predict how the case will go. It is also early to predict its impact on XRP’s price.

In the coming month, we will also focus on Sweden. In February, Riksbank, the country’s central bank announced that it was conducting a pilot project for e-krona. It has partnered with Accenture to achieve this. E-krona will be a digital version of the country’s currency. It will simplify access to cash and help banks save money transporting physical cash. The Chinese central bank is also created a digital version of the yuan. These projects are in reaction to Facebook’s Libra.

In March, we will focus on a few crypto events. Some of these events could be cancelled or postponed because of the virus. Some of the key events we will be watching are: Crypto Assets Conference in Munich, Germany, London Asset Management Summit, and Syncronize Conference in New York.

At Contentworks Agency, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PR and white papers.


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Information Provided via Press Release
Distributed by Global Crypto Press Association Press Release Distribution for industry.



Will the Coronavirus Affect Bitcoin Prices?! - The Feb 2020 Crypto Outlook...

Welcome to the February 2020 Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.
2020 is turning out to be another great year for Bitcoin. In January, the price of Bitcoin rose by almost 30%. This was significantly higher than the 3.2% rise in gold price and the -0.16% decline of the S&P500. There are three main reasons for this. 
Firstly, the market is hopeful that the halving event happening later this year will be positive for Bitcoin. This is because Bitcoins will be scarcer and more difficult to mine, potentially increasing their value.
Secondly, the spreading coronavirus disease presents a major risk to the world economy. As such, many investors are using Bitcoin as a safe-haven or as digital gold. Thirdly, technical indicators suggest that the price of Bitcoin bottomed in the fourth quarter of the year. Bitcoin is not the only cryptocurrency that is rallying. Indeed, Litecoin and Ethereum have risen by 66% and 40% respectively. The chart below compares the performance of major cryptocurrencies with that of gold and S&P500.
In February, investors will continue to focus on the spreading coronavirus disease. The disease is estimated to have a negative impact on the world economy because the Chinese supply chain is expected to be affected. As such, it’s possible that many crypto enthusiasts will buy more currencies as a hedge against risk. 
Crypto enthusiasts will continue to count down the days to halving. This is an important event, which will reduce the number of Bitcoins that are awarded to miners. This is an event that takes place after every 210k blocks. The next Bitcoin halving will take place between May and June this year. As of this writing, we are less than 100 days from the event. After this, the next halving will take place in 2024. The price of Bitcoin has historically risen ahead of the halving event.
Ripple will be a key cryptocurrency to watch in February. XRP has risen by 23%. The company behind it made headlines in December, when it raised $200 million from investors. The funding is expected to help Ripple grow its remittances business. Now, there is talk that the company is preparing to go public. Ripple CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, told the media that he believed the company had the potential to become a publicly traded company. This will be the first major crypto provider to go public.
The market will also focus on a number of key events including the iFX Expo Asia, which has been temporarily postponed due to the Corona virus. This is usually one of the biggest finance-related events in the world. It is attended by thousands of participants and hundreds of speakers. Some of the key speakers expected will be from companies like Goldman Sachs, Alibaba, Deloitte, and eToro among others.
Another important event will be the Digital Asset Summit (DAS), which will happen in London. This is an event that targets institutional investors. The speakers will be from companies like BitGo, Genesis, Fidelity, and Nexo among others. Other key events to watch will be Blockchain in oil & gas that will be held in Canada and Finnovate that will happen in Berlin Germany.
At Contentworks Agency, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PR and white papers.
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Information Provided via Press Release
Distributed by Global Crypto Press Association Press Release Distribution for industry.



Crypto Outlook January 2020: Your Crypto Snapshot of 2020...


Welcome to the January 2020 Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specializing in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

Bitcoin was one of the best-performing assets in 2019. The currency rose by more than 85%. This was higher than the 30% gain by the S&P 500. It was also higher than gains in gold and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Litecoin. Bitcoin started 2019 from a point of weakness after its price dropped by more than 80% in the previous year.

cryptocurrency chart

Bitcoin started 2020 on a high note after rising by 30 basis points on the first day of the year. The outlook for the year remains uncertain. This is because the currency has declined significantly since peaking at almost $14,000 in 2019. The currency is 44% off its 2019 highs. Nonetheless, there is a ray of hope. The market is anticipating how the currency will perform ahead of the halving event that will happen in June this year. Halving happens when the size of the block reward is reduced by half. This leads to lower supply. Historically, currencies like BTC and LTC have risen ahead of halving. In addition, reports by Blockchain and Coin Dance confirmed that BTC’s hash rate started the year at an all-time high.

In January, the market will continue paying attention to Ripple. Ripple, the company that owns cryptocurrency XRP, will be watched after it raised a massive $200 million round in 2020. The round was led by Tetragon, SBI Holdings, and Route 66 Ventures. This round valued the company at more than $10 billion. The traded XRP currency is valued at more than $8.2 billion and is the third most-valuable crypto after Bitcoin and Ethereum. The company sold more than 66 million XRP tokens in the third quarter.

Ethereum will also be in focus this month. The second-most valuable cryptocurrency has been a laggard in the past year, when its price declined by more than 8%. The currency will be in focus as it completed its second hard fork in less than 30 days. This happened after the mining of the 9,200,000 block in what is being called the Muir Glacier upgrade. This upgrade, which was proposed by EthHub’s Eric Conner, delays the so-called ‘difficulty bomb by 4 million blocks. This is expected to increase the block time slowly with the goal of pushing the network towards a proof-of-stake situation. Enthusiasts will be watching how this develop.

Bithumb, one of the biggest exchanges in the world, will be in the spotlight this month. This is after it emerged that South Korea’s National Tax service was planning to withhold tax worth more than $70 million from the company. Bithumb is the biggest crypto exchange in the country. This tax will be withheld mostly from foreign customers. This will be the first time the company has imposed tax on gains from cryptocurrencies.

Enthusiasts will also be paying attention to a number of events that are scheduled to take place in January. In Las Vegas, the Digital Money Forum will take place on January 7 to 10th. The forum is expected to welcome more than 1000 delegates from the United States and around the world.

In Washington, the Elite AI and Blockchain summit will take place on January 14 and 15.

The North American Bitcoin Conference will happen in Miami on January 15 to 17. Key speakers will be Bill Barhydt, the founder of Abra and Marco Santori, the president of Blockchain.com. The Crypto Finance Conference will happen in Switzerland, and will be headline by the Winklevoss brothers.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

Visit Contentworks at http://www.contentworks.agency


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Information Provided via Press Release
Distributed by Global Crypto Press Association Press Release Distribution for industry.



Why Bitcoin Could Recover After a 17% Decline - The December 2019 Outlook...


Welcome to the December 2019 Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain. It’s the most wonderful time of the year for many, but will the price of Bitcoin fill traders with festive cheer, or leave them out in the cold? Let’s find out.

Bitcoin had a rough month in November. Its price declined by 17%. In total, the currency has dropped by 21% over the past three months although it has gained by more than 90% year-to-date. This means that it has outperformed stocks and gold. The S&P 500 and the Dow have gained by 25% and 20% respectively while gold has gained by just 14%. The recent decline came as sentiment shifted from volatile assets like crypto and moved to stocks as the market continued to hope that a trade deal between the United States and China will be sealed. That has not happened, seven weeks after the two countries talked about the first phase of the deal.

The price of Bitcoin also dropped as China started to crackdown against unregulated cryptocurrencies in the country. This led to the closure of cryptocurrency exchanges. The crackdown was the biggest cleanup exercise after the one done in 2017 when the price of cryptocurrencies was surging. The latest crackdown is also important because of how important Asia is to the world of cryptocurrencies. According to Chainalysis, 20 of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges are located in Asia. In addition, 40% of all crypto transactions happen in Asia. Also, the market received reports that the CEO of a little-known exchange known as IDAX had gone missing. This means that its users had lost an unknown amount of money.

However, it is still incredibly difficult to ban cryptocurrencies as this could lead to a thriving underground industry. Instead, governments should put in place meaningful regulations. Therefore, the market will continue to pay close attention to China in December to see what happens.

The market will also focus on North Korea. In November, it was reported that the country was developing its own digital currency. Unlike the Chinese digital yuan, North Korean officials said that the currency will be more like Bitcoin. The digital yuan will be a normal currency but in digital format. It will be monitored and controlled by the PBOC. Meanwhile, North Korea’s currency will be a real cryptocurrency that will be mined by users from around the world. The country, which hosted a blockchain summit in April, hopes that its currency will help it get around the crippling sanctions placed by the United States. Talks between Kim and Trump appear to have been unsuccessful. In recent years, isolated countries like Iran and Venezuela have turned to crypto to do business.

A look at the Bitcoin chart shows that it’s likely the price could recover in December. Firstly, the BTC/USD chart has reached a 61.8% Fibonacci Retracement level on the 52-week chart shown below. This is usually an indication that prices could recover. Secondly, the price of Bitcoin has historically risen in December. It reached an all-time high in December 2017 and this year’s rally started in December. Finally, the market is still thinking of halving, which will happen in April next year. This halving could lead to a significant rally. We saw that earlier this year with Litecoin.


The market will also be watching a number of events this month. The most important ones will be the World Blockchain Summit in Bangkok, Elev8Con in Las Vegas, and the Blockchain Innovation and Investment Summit in Dubai.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PR and white papers. 


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November Crypto Outlook: Will the New Bitcoin Rally Continue?

Welcome to the November 2019 Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specializing in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

Cryptocurrencies have been the best-performing assets in the financial market this year. Litecoin, Bitcoin and Ethereum have gained by 138%, 77% and 26% respectively. Gold and S&P 500 in comparison have gained by 16% and 20% respectively this year. The gains seen this year are in contrast to the significant losses that happened in 2018. In October, the price of Bitcoin rose by 10% after the sharp declines experienced in the previous three months.



November will be a significant month for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The market will scrutinise the documents released by Canaan, as the company prepares for its IPO. Canaan is the second-biggest Bitcoin mining machine maker. The company has already filed papers with the SEC and is offering its size at $400 million. The company attempted going public in Hong Kong in 2018 but was rebuffed by the exchange, which considers crypto IPOs as being premature. In the latest SEC filing, the company said that it lost $48.2 million in the first half of the year.

The market will also focus on China, which is expected to launch its digital currency during the month. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has been building a digital currency as it hopes to ease cash transfers. The currency will be a digital version of the yuan. Critics say that the currency will lead to increased surveillance by the Chinese government. The country accelerated development of the currency after Facebook unveiled its desire to launch Libra. In a statement a week ago, President Xi Jinping hailed blockchain and suggested that China should seize the moment. This led to Bitcoin’s price to jump by 15%.

Traders will also focus on Libra, the cryptocurrency project that is being built by Facebook. In October, Libra was in the news as some of its biggest backers like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal withdrew from the association. These companies are afraid of the spotlight that Libra has gained from global regulators and politicians. European leaders like the French finance minister have warned that they will not allow Libra to take over from the euro. In testimony to Congress, Mark Zuckerberg urged American politicians to support Libra because other countries like China would be winners if Libra was left to die.

The market will also be looking at the crypto-loan market. In a recent article, Bloomberg wrote that the loan market is worth more than $5 billion. The industry began less than two years ago and accelerated in 2018, during the big crash. Holders who were afraid of selling their Bitcoins loaned them out to people with the goal of earning interest. Other people borrowed money and used their coins as collateral. There are concerns that the new market could pose significant risks in the market.

There will be several major crypto events during November. In Athens, enthusiasts will gather for the Decentralized event on October 30 to November 1. This is one of the fastest-growing crypto-related events. Charlotte Day, the creative director of Contentworks will be a speaker at the event. In Mexico City, Meridian, the first Stellar Conference will take place. This event will target people interested in the Stellar industry. Other main events to watch will be Convergence in Spain, The Capital in Singapore, and Indonesia Blockchain Week.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PRs and white papers.

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October 2019 Crypto Outlook: What Next After the September Crypto Plunge?

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Welcome to the October 2019 Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specializing in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

In September, Bitcoin made the biggest decline this year. In the month, the price declined by as much as 20%, which led to the decline of other cryptocurrencies as well. The decline happened after the lukewarm reception of the new futures contracts by the New York Stock Exchange. The market also reacted to the news that VanEck/SolidX had withdrawn their ETF proposal from the SEC. This was a major news because enthusiasts have been following the news hoping that an ETF will bring in more demand.

In October, cryptocurrency enthusiasts will focus on price movement. They will want to see whether the decline will continue or whether the price will retest the previous highs. There are those analysts who expect the price to continue moving lower and others who expect the price to jump. In a Tweet, John McAfee said that his target of the Bitcoin price reaching $50,000 remained. In addition, traders will be focusing on the earnings season, which will start in the next few weeks. In the past, some major crypto-related news has been released during the season.

Another thing enthusiasts will be watching will be Libra, the cryptocurrency project that is being created by Facebook. The currency has continued to face increased scrutiny as regulators and policymakers think about how it will impact the world. Some countries, like China have said that they could accept the currency. Other countries, particularly those in Europe have opposed the currency. In a report by BBC, France finance minister said that the currency should be blocked in the region. He said:

"This eventual privatisation of money contains risks of abuse of dominant position, risks to sovereignty and risks for consumers and for companies. Libra also represents a systemic risk from the moment when you have two billion users. Any breakdown in the functioning of this currency, in the management of its reserves, could create considerable financial disruption. All these concerns about Libra are serious. I therefore want to say with plenty of clarity: in these conditions, we cannot authorise the development of Libra on European soil."

Europe has been very vocal in opposing the currency. The region’s cautiousness and over-regulation have been blamed for the recent slowdown in the EU’s economy. It has also been blamed for the lack of any major technology company from the region.

While Europe and some politicians from the US have opposed Libra, China has been busy developing its own digital currency. The currency is being developed by the People’s Bank of China as it tries to digitize the yuan.

In October, crypto enthusiasts will be following a number of high-level events. On October 1 and 2, focus will be in Seoul, where the CoinGeek Conference will be taking place. All eyes will be on Dr. Craig Wright, who will be the main speaker of the event. Craig has publicly claimed that he is the founder of Bitcoin. Other top speakers will be Jimmy Nguyen, the founding president of the Bitcoin Association and Lise Li from the Bitcoin Association.

On October 30 - November 1, the crypto crowd is heading to Decentralized in Athens. Decentralized has established itself as Europe’s premier conference on blockchain and digital currencies. Decentralized 2019 will bring together the world’s leading business executives and academic experts to debate current trends and future developments.

Other events that will be watched closely will be the Global Blockchain Summit in Colorado, the eight annual blockchain mastermind in Washington, and the Osaka blockchain week in Japan.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PR and white papers.


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Monthly Crypto Outlook: Will the Downward Trend in Crypto Continue?

Welcome to the September Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

Cryptocurrencies have been the best-performing financial assets this year. Bitcoin has risen by almost 150% while Ethereum and Litecoin have risen by 20% and 95% respectively. These gains have reversed a sharp decline that happened in 2018, when the mood in the market turned bearish. In August, the cryptos had a tough month, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin declining by 8%, 25%, and 32% respectively. These declines happened at a time when stocks too were declining. The S&P 500, Dow Jones, and DAX declined by 3%, 3.5%, and 2.3% respectively as the trade war continued. In this article, we will look at the key expectations in the month of September.

The Craig Wright saga will likely continue this month. Craig Wright is an Australian who has claimed that he is Satoshi Nakamoto. Satoshi founded Bitcoin in 2009 but his identity has remained unknown. In the past few months. Wright has claimed that he is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto. In the final week of August, Wright was ordered by a court to surrender cryptocurrency worth more than $4 billion to the Kleiman estate. Before the interview, Craig warned that if he loses the suit, the price of Bitcoin would drop sharply as he unloaded his holdings. However, he has also claimed that he doesn’t know where the crypto is being stored. Still, this is a story that is not going away any time soon.

Libra will also be in the limelight this month. This is a cryptocurrency project that was unveiled in July this year. Facebook announced that the new currency will be launched in 2020. The currency will help people from around the world make transactions through a currency that is backed by a group of stable currencies like the euro, dollar, and yen. Last month, the Global Times, the Chinese-owned blog asked the Chinese government to allow its companies to participate in it. The editorial argued that such a currency would be accepted widely internationally and that it could be a replacement for the dollar. Also, it was announced that some of the original backers of the currency had started to pull back.

China will also be in focus this month. A recent report by Forbes said that the Chinese government was continuing to develop its cryptocurrency. According to the report, the Chinese government will issue the currency to Alibaba and other large institutions like Tencent, Union Pay, and Agricultural Bank of China among others. These institutions will then be used to disperse the currency to the Chinese citizens. The currency will be known as DC/EP (Digital Currency / Electronic Payments), and the Chinese government hopes that it will be adopted internationally.

Meanwhile, crypto enthusiasts will be looking at a number of events that will take place in the month. The OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum will take place in France in the second week of the month. The event will feature more than 1000 senior industry experts, government officials, and education experts to discuss the policy frameworks necessary for the industry. In the same week, the IEEE Global Blockchain Summit will be held in Washington. IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology. The Shanghai International Blockchain week will take place in the final week of the month.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PR and white papers. -------

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August Crypto Outlook: Everything Crypto Universe Will Be Focusing on in August...

Welcome to the August Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specializing in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

In July, cryptocurrencies didn’t have a good month. The price of Bitcoin dropped by 4% while that of Ethereum and Ripple declined by 25% and 20% respectively. This happened as investors grew wary about the state of the industry following a series of hearings in Washington. Key Facebook executives responsible for the Libra project were interviewed by the senate and congress. Another reason for the decline was that hackers managed to steal cryptocurrencies worth more than $32 million from a Japanese exchange.

In August, investors will pay close attention to Litecoin, which is one of the best-performing cryptocurrencies this year after gaining by more than 200%. Litecoin will be in the news as the halving event takes place. Halving is a process in which the rewards for miners are reduced by half. This process is aimed at preserving the currency’s purchasing power. After the halving, the reward will drop from25 litecoins to 12.5 litecoins per block. This will reduce the supply and therefore, the market expects the price to continue moving higher. For Bitcoin, the next halving is expected to take place in May 2020.

Investors will also be following news about Libra, the “cryptocurrency” that is set to be launched by Facebook. The currency was announced in June and is expected to go live in 2019. In July, there were a number of hearings in Washington about the currency. A number of global policymakers like Mario Draghi, Jerome Powell, and Mark Carney have warned about the implication of the currency on the market. The same statements have been repeated by politicians in Europe, Australia, and the U.S.

Security will be a major focus among crypto investors this month. This is after the $32 million hack from a Japanese exchange in July. For the industry to remain vibrant, investors need to be sure that their coins are safe. In 2018, cryptocurrencies worth more than $1 billion was stolen. This has left regulators scrambling on how to regulate and ensure that the crypto are safe.

On the issue of regulations, the United Kingdom’s main regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that it had finalised its review of the cryptocurrencies. It clarified that some currencies fall under its jurisdiction. Some cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and ether are classified as exchange tokens, meaning that they are not regulated. In the statement, the authority said: “Any token that is not a security token, or an e-money token is unregulated. However, market participants should note certain activities that use tokens may nevertheless be regulated, for example, when used to facilitate regulated payments.”

In August, crypto enthusiasts will also be looking at several key events. In Seattle, the TruffleCon event, will take place on 2 nd to 4 th August. The event is targeted to developers who want to build applications using decentralized technologies. In Canada, the Blockchain Futurist Conference will take place on August 12 to 14. This is the highest profile blockchain event in the country that will bring together more than 2500 participants. In New York, the Elev8 conference will take place on August 13 and 14. Other key events that will take place in the month will be the Blockchain Summit in Singapore, Blockchain Conference Hamburg, and Bloconomic Expo in Malaysia.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PR and white papers.
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Will the Big Rally Continue? The Monthly Crypto Outlook For June 2019...

Welcome to the June Crypto Outlook with Contentworks, an agency specialising in content marketing for financial services, crypto and blockchain.

May was one of the best months in the cryptocurrencies industry this year. In the month, the price of Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies rose by double digits. Say what?? Yes really. Bitcoin rose by more than 60% while Ethereum and Ripple rose by 60% and 40% respectively. The combined market capitalization of the currencies rose to almost $300 billion, which was the highest level since September last year. This year alone, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple have risen by 140%, 100%, and 25% respectively.


The recent gains can be explained in technical terms because there was no major news in the month. In the month, there were two key events, where regulators and industry players met to
deliberate on its future. In the US, the Consensus event attracted thousands of people, who included company executives, regulators, and fans. In Cyprus, the IFXExpo attracted thousands of people, who discussed the recent trends.

Another major news item was that Facebook is continuing with the building of its own cryptocurrency. Reports indicated that the company’s currency will be released in 2020, mostly for the Indian market. According to Cheddar, Facebook expects to use its currency to facilitate international money transfers. The company will also use the underlying blockchain technology to power its other products. However, there is skepticism on why the company has decided to follow the blockchain route instead of creating tools to enable transactions on its platform. There is also curiosity over how this will impact Bitcoin and other currencies. Marketers are somewhat bemused by the move following years of overzealous anti crypto and blockchain ad policies by the network.

A common headache among the crypto community is on the Bitcoin ETFs, which have been talked about a lot in the past one year. The ETFs have been proposed by several companies like VanEck, which also runs hundreds of other ETFs. After declining to accept the ETFs last year, the SEC announced that it will deliberate on the decision. With more investors and regulators talking about the currencies, there is a likelihood that the SEC will either accept or decline the ETFs in June.

The role of Bitcoin as a safe haven continues to be perpetrated by investors. In the past few weeks, the world has been on edge after the US and China restarted their trade war. This war
has seen the stock market decline sharply because investors are not sure about what will happen in the future. As this happened, the price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has continued to rise. In June, as the trade war escalates, investors will want to see how currencies will react.|

In June, investors will likely pay attention to Block.One, a leading crypto group. On Friday, the company, which has raised more than $4 billion said that it will release a social media platform on EOS blockchain. The company hopes to shine in an industry that is now dominated by the big companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. However, there are concerns over whether the company’s platform will have any market share. In the past, companies like Brave and other social media platforms failed to convince users to make the switch.

This month, there will be several blockchain events that enthusiasts will be looking at. These include the ABC Conference in New York, which will be hosted by Coindash, Next Bitcoin Conference in New York, Blockchain for Financial Services Global Summit in Toronto, and Tokenized Assets in London.

At Contentworks, our team of financial professionals closely follows market movements for FX, Crypto and other tradable instruments. We are proud to serve some of the biggest crypto and fintech companies in the world by delivering high-impact articles, videos, PR and white papers.

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Information provided via press release
Distributed by Global Crypto Press Association Press Release Distribution Service for industry.