– Undoubtedly, the recent arrest of Pavel Durov, the programmer, creator, and owner of the Telegram messenger, has become the event of the past few days. The billionaire was detained on 24 August at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, where he had arrived by private jet from Azerbaijan. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin was on an official visit to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku. According to one version, Durov sought to meet with him but was refused.
According to media reports, the detention at Le Bourget is linked to an investigation being conducted in France regarding the Telegram messenger created by Durov. Investigators believe that the lack of moderation and insufficient cooperation by the messenger's administration with the country's authorities have complicated the fight against drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, paedophilia, and other offences, leading to the commission of a "wide range of crimes" on the platform. In addition to his Russian citizenship, Pavel Durov holds citizenships of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the UAE, and France. As a French citizen, he is obliged to cooperate with the country's authorities.
The incident has sparked a strong reaction worldwide. Some influencers have accused the French authorities of attempting to restrict citizens' rights and freedom of speech, while others have supported their actions. Commentators also note that Durov's arrest could pose a significant problem for Russia, as his Telegram application is one of the primary communication channels for Russian troops in Ukraine. Moreover, the messenger is also actively used by the Russian authorities, including members of the Government and Parliament, and their correspondence may contain highly important and top-secret information.
For reference: Pavel Durov was born in 1984 in Saint Petersburg. Immediately after graduating from university, he created the social network VKontakte, which is currently the largest in Russia. In 2014, it became known that due to pressure from the Russian security services, he was forced to sell VKontakte and leave the country. As the entrepreneur stated, "I'm afraid there is no way back for me, especially after I publicly refused to cooperate with the [Russian] authorities." And now he is facing new problems: this time due to his refusal to cooperate with the French authorities.
– Samson Mow, a bitcoin maximalist and one of the most prominent figures in the crypto industry, has surprised many by drastically lowering his BTC price forecast by tenfold. Just recently, in July, Mow announced that the leading cryptocurrency would reach $1 million within a year. However, in a new comment, he stated that "as long as the bitcoin price remains below $0.1 million, coins are being sold at a discount." This has led the crypto community to believe that he may have lost faith in a strong bull rally. The $0.1 million figure refers to $100,000. In other words, anything below this figure is considered a discounted price, while $100,000 is deemed the fair value according to Mow.
For reference: Samson Mow is a crypto investor, entrepreneur, blogger, and TV host. He was the CEO of the blockchain company Pixelmatic and the Chief Strategy Officer at Blockstream. Currently, he serves as the CEO of JAN3 and CEO of Pixelmatic.
– Inflation is one of the key indicators influencing the monetary policy and the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions in the United States. These, in turn, are among the primary factors determining the attractiveness of cryptocurrencies to investors. A further confirmation of this was provided by the dovish speech given by Jerome Powell, the Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, at the Annual Economic Symposium in Jackson Hole (USA) on the evening of Friday, 23 August. Powell did not rule out the possibility of a gradual reduction in the interest rate for the remainder of the year. The market reacted to this with a drop in the DXY Dollar Index to 100.60 and a surge in the BTC/USD pair by nearly 7%: from $60,800 to $65,000.
– After the surge to $65,000, the rally did not continue. According to analysts at QCP Capital, the hesitation among market participants regarding the future of the leading cryptocurrency acted as a brake, leading traders to quickly lock in profits. In this situation, QCP Capital believes that although the market is showing bullish sentiment, a rapid increase in BTC prices should not be expected for now. For the resumption of significant growth, signals indicating renewed interest in BTC from major institutional investors are necessary.
– Anthony Scaramucci has recently stated in an interview with CNBC that the bullish reversal for bitcoin accelerated this year after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved spot BTC ETFs. According to the expert, this is the most successful launch of exchange-traded funds in history. The SEC's approval of such funds has increased the legitimacy of the crypto asset. The entrepreneur added that BTC ETFs remain a catalyst for the growth of the leading cryptocurrency, as the number of traditional investors in the crypto market has significantly increased. Bitcoin, he said, will continue to be an effective store of value despite the 30% increase in the price of gold over the past two years.
Previously, the head of SkyBridge Capital predicted that digital gold would reach $100,000 by the end of 2024. However, he now warns that achieving this target might be delayed due to regulatory uncertainty and the increasing frequency of crypto fraud. "I might be wrong about the timing, not the actual outcome. I truly believe bitcoin will reach $100,000; it will just take more time," he wrote.
For reference: Anthony Scaramucci is a financier and the founder of SkyBridge Capital. He is also known for his record-short tenure as the White House Communications Director, a position from which he was dismissed by then-President Trump after just 10 days.
– Renowned macroeconomist Henrik Zeberg is convinced that a recession in the United States is inevitable and could occur as early as the fourth quarter of this year. Moreover, he believes it will be the worst recession since the Great Depression of 1929. According to Zeberg, the upcoming bear market will unfold in two stages: a deflationary phase followed by stagflation, with an intermediate rebound as the Federal Reserve intervenes in 2025. This will be followed by what he calls the "blow-off top," where prices soar to unsustainable levels and then plummet rapidly.
Alongside this forecast, Zeberg has revised his target figures for stock indices and bitcoin upwards. According to his BlowOffTop business cycle model, the price of the leading cryptocurrency is expected to rise to $115,000-120,000 by the end of 2024. However, the economist warns that this will be a short-lived surge.
– Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has withdrawn from the U.S. presidential race, announcing his support for Donald Trump. The former presidential candidate admitted that if Trump were to win, he would be willing to lead the CIA. American media outlets are speculating that Kennedy Jr. might join Trump's campaign and possibly even his team. Following this, users on the decentralized prediction platform Polymarket have wagered $87 million, indicating a 51% likelihood that the Republican candidate will become the next President of the United States. The chances for the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, have dropped to 48%.
Like Trump, Kennedy Jr. positions himself as a crypto-friendly politician. As for Kamala Harris, she continues to refrain from expressing her views on cryptocurrencies, which could negatively impact her campaign in the future. According to analysts at Coinbase, digital asset holders and cryptocurrency supporters could significantly influence the election outcome.
– On 25 August, Michael van de Poppe, the head and founder of MN Trading, noted that bitcoin has not yet definitively broken out of the "lower range" between $61,000 and $62,000. According to him, this is a crucial level for confirming a rally towards BTC's all-time high. The trader also pointed out that the prevailing bearish sentiment has caused Ethereum to sharply decline against bitcoin, with the ETH/BTC pair reaching new lows. However, van de Poppe believes that sentiment will soon shift, leading to the beginning of an altcoin season.
Earlier, specialists at CryptoQuant also stated that the correction in Ethereum's price is nearing its end. According to their forecasts, the asset is expected to soon experience a price surge.
– At present, the market capitalization of the leading cryptocurrency, bitcoin, is approximately $1.27 trillion, which is about 3.8 times higher than that of the main altcoin, Ethereum, at around $330 billion. Nick Tomaino, CEO of the crypto investment firm 1confirmation, believes that "both assets will continue to grow, but ETH will surpass BTC within the next five years. The reason is simple. Bitcoin has a straightforward narrative (digital gold), which has already attracted institutional investors. Ethereum, on the other hand, has been the most influential blockchain in the industry over the last five years, but it remains not fully understood." This latter factor, according to Tomaino, will be the driving force behind the altcoin's rise.
"Since Ethereum's market capitalization is currently significantly lower than bitcoin's, Wall Street can acquire a larger amount of ETH. They will do so and aggressively promote the asset in the coming years," Tomaino writes. The analyst also believes that the value of Ethereum will be bolstered by the technological advancements of its network and its popularity as the leading smart contract platform.
– According to a survey by Date Psychology, the majority of women (77%) find cryptocurrency enthusiasts to be unattractive. The only group viewed less favourably are those who collect Funko figures (toys dedicated to characters from films, comics, cartoons, etc.). This may be due to the perception that women consider digital assets to be unserious and, as a result, project this view onto men who are involved with them.
The most attractive hobbies among male respondents were reading, learning foreign languages, and playing musical instruments. However, other surveys indicate that women working in the crypto industry often achieve greater success and frequently hold higher positions than their male colleagues.
Crypto, forecast, cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Dogecoin
