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Bitcoin Breakthroughs: Court Overturns SEC Rule, Gensler Resigns, Goldman Expands Crypto Operations, and China's Evolving Stance

99K Problems, But Bitcoin Ain’t One

On Thursday, November 21, 2024, bitcoin reached a record-breaking milestone, briefly surpassing $99,000 before settling back to $98,000.

This latest surge has sparked widespread anticipation, with speculation on whether bitcoin will reach the highly anticipated $100,000 mark by the end of the week.

Federal Court Strikes Down SEC’s Dealer Rule, Delivering Major Win for Bitcoin Advocates

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the SEC's "Dealer Rule," ruling that the agency exceeded its statutory authority.

This decision marked a significant victory for the Texas Blockchain Council, Blockchain Association, and Crypto Freedom Alliance of Texas.

It protects the digital asset industry from what critics called the SEC’s overreach and arbitrary rulemaking, reinforcing the limits of the agency’s regulatory powers under the Exchange Act. Industry leaders praised the ruling as a crucial step toward safeguarding innovation and ensuring a pro-crypto regulatory environment.

Gary Gensler to Step Down as SEC Chair, Signaling a Turning Point for Bitcoin

The announcement of Gary Gensler’s resignation as SEC Chair via X, formerly Twitter, will be effective January 20, 2025.

His departure marks a significant moment for the cryptocurrency industry. Known for his tough regulatory stance, Gensler's exit follows former President Donald Trump’s campaign promise at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, TN, to remove Gensler on “day one” of a potential new term.

The industry anticipates a shift toward more balanced regulations under new leadership, fostering more transparent rules and greater institutional adoption of digital assets.

Goldman Sachs Eyes Move Into Crypto Trading

Goldman Sachs plans to spin off its cryptocurrency platform into a new company focused on creating and trading blockchain-based financial instruments with strategic partners like Tradeweb Markets.

Pending regulatory approvals, the spinout, expected within 12 to 18 months, aims to target financial institutions with tokenized real-world assets and permissioned blockchain solutions, capitalizing on the growing demand for tokenized Treasury bills and ETFs.

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The SEC just approved the closest thing to a US bitcoin ETF you can buy, for now

The US SEC has approved an ETF that tracks stocks with significant exposure to bitcoin.
These firms hold a majority of their net assets in bitcoin or derive a majority of their profit or revenue from bitcoin-related activities.
The actively-managed fund, Volt Crypto Industry Revolution and Tech ETF, was approved on October 5.

Bitcoin is 'noxious poison', says Warren Buffett investment chief

Billionaire vice-chair of Berkshire Hathaway calls for crackdown on ‘asinine’ cryptocurrency

Bitcoin is heading towards $10,000 again, despite comments from the US billionaire Charles Munger who described the digital currency as “noxious poison”.
Munger, the vice-chairman of Warren Buffett’s investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, said he considered the bitcoin craze to be “totally asinine”.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the US publishing firm Daily Journal, which he chairs, in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Munger said: “I never considered for one second having anything to do with it. I detested it the moment it was raised. It’s just disgusting. Bitcoin is noxious poison.”
Bitcoin is rising towards $10,000, a level it has not seen since 1 February. It hit $9,977 earlier on Thursday and is now trading at around $9,580, up nearly 1%.
Munger called for a government crackdown on the cryptocurrency, similar to the one in China, saying: “Our government’s more lax approach to it is wrong. The right answer to something like that is to step on it hard.

Fork Confusion Propels Litecoin to 1-Month High Above $200

Litecoin (LTC) is putting on a show today amid news a group of developers may seek to fork its blockchain, the fifth-largest by total value.
The cryptocurrency was last seen changing hands at $216, a one-month high, according to data service CoinMarketCap. Overall, LTC has appreciated by 33 percent in the last 24 hours, up over 100 percent from the Feb. 6 low of $106.94. Further, with the move, litecoin's market capitalization has jumped above $10 billion for the first time since Jan. 29.
Still, the reasons for the move may give investors pause.
LTC appears to be edging higher due to news of an upcoming fork called "Litecoin Cash," which is promising new tokens to existing holders at block 1,371,111. For every 1 LTC held at block 1,371,111, holders will receive 10 "LCC," according to the official website.
However, there is a notable contingent that is warning about the new cryptocurrency.
Litecoin founder creator Charlie Lee and the litecoin community have dismissed the project, calling it a "scam" meant to confuse litecoin owners. Bitcoin similarly boomed on the release of a rival blockchain called bitcoin cash last year, though there were perhaps more stark differences between the two technologies, both propelled by competing ideologies.
Closer analysis shows the LTC price increase has been bolstered by strong volumes from Coinbase's GDAX exchange, a sign less-savvy consumers may be active in the market.
However, questions about the fork aside, technical charts indicate the news may be enough to extend a rally in the flagging market.

Bitcoin Sees Bull Reversal Ahead of Chinese New Year

Bitcoin looks set to test the $10,000 mark soon, as per technical analysis, although some investors fear the Lunar New Year may play spoilsport.
Ahead of New Year holidays (starting Feb. 15), Chinese and South Koreans often exchange bitcoin for fiat currencies (to fund increased spending), and bitcoin (BTC) tends to drop in the run-up to the event.
Boosting such fears this year is bitcoin's (BTC) recent inability to move above $9,000 in a convincing manner. Since Feb. 10, the cryptocurrency has been restricted to a narrow range of $8,000 to $9,000,