Russian Market

2022-04-14 19:13:09 Amazon won't support crypto payments anytime soon, CEO says

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in an interview with CNBC that Amazon is not close to adding support for cryptocurrency payments. However, he is generally optimistic about the future of crypto and NFTs.

"We’re not probably close to adding crypto as a payment mechanism in our retail business, but I do believe over time that you’ll see crypto become bigger," Jassy said.

Andy Jassy also added that he thinks "possible down the road" Amazon could eventually sell NFTs.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-14 18:11:52 Russian Finance Ministry amends bill 'On digital currency'

Russia Finance Ministry has amended a bill intended to implement comprehensive rules for the Russian crypto sector.

The Finance Ministry proposed to replace the concept of a 'qualified investor’ in the draft bill with a 'professional purchaser' of digital currency. The ministry considers as a professional purchaser an individual recognized as such by a digital trading platform operator or a digital currency exchange operator.

Citizens are assumed to be tested before purchasing crypto. Upon successful completion, they will be able to invest up to 600 thousand rubles ($8,450) in crypto per year. Otherwise, the maximum amount will be limited to 50,000 rubles ($700). However, professional purchasers will be able to transact without restrictions.

The bill has been resubmitted to the government and may be adopted during the parliament’s spring session. If passed, the bill will enter into force on January 1, 2023.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-14 16:05:20 Euro weakens as BCE keeps stimulus exit plans unchanged

The ECB vowed to maintain its stimulus exit, but not faster than it had said before, leading to the EUR/USD selling off 0.2% to 1.0835. Net bond buying is set to end in the third quarter and main financing rate is kept unchanged. Money markets are now pricing in 64 basis points of rate hikes by year-end, around 7 bps lower than prior to the policy decision.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-14 15:58:42 Ava Labs to raise $350M at $5B valuation

According to the report citing people familiar with the discussions, Ava Labs, builder of the Avalanche blockchain, is seeking to raise $350 million in funding that would give it a $5.25 billion valuation.

The $5.25 billion valuation would place Ava Labs in the unicorn club and make it a more valuable crypto firm than Binance's US subsidiary, which raised $200 million earlier this month on a $4.5 billion deal. However, the company will still be slightly behind the likes of Polygon, which is worth $20 billion at the time of its recent funding round, or USDC stablecoin issuer Circle, which was valued at $9 billion in February.

Like several other blockchains, Avalanche is looking to draw projects and applications away from Ethereum with the promise of high speeds and low transaction fees.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-14 14:52:02 Russia may use crypto payments with African countries

Sergei Katyrin, Chairman of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, sent Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin proposals on developing cooperation with African countries.

Katyrin advocates the use of national currencies and cryptocurrencies in settlements and payments with African countries. He also considers it necessary to create free trade zones, stimulate investment and mutually protect capital investments. The Chairman proposed to work out the issue of barter and accounting systems for external and internal payments, including cryptocurrencies.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-14 14:06:56 ElonMusk offers to buy Twitter for $54.2 per share

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has offered to buy 100% of Twitter for $54.20 per share in cash. He recently became the largest shareholder in Twitter after taking a 9.2% stake.

In a letter to Twitter Chairman Bret Taylor, Musk said Twitter needed to be transformed in order to become a platform for free speech around the globe. He believes that in its current state, the company will not be able to do so.

The offer represents an over 15% premium to Twitter’s last close, and values the social media giant at roughly $43 billion. Musk said the offer was a 38% premium to Twitter’s share price just before he revealed his stake in the firm. The Tesla CEO says his offer is final and if not accepted he would need to reconsider his position as a shareholder.

Tesla shares were lower by 1.6% in pre-market as traders view Elon's involvement in Twitter as a distraction from focusing on Tesla. Twitter shares are up 11% to $50.9 in pre-market.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-14 12:28:35 China vows easing, yields drop, stocks recover

Sentiment is driving this market, and it's ticking up slightly after China vowed easing measures to counter the economic fallout from its lockdowns. China is expected to cut the key rate and reserve requirement ratio.

Similarly, traders cut back bets the Fed will increase rates this year from 9 to 8 hikes, still expected before the year ends (for a total of 2% interest increase). Yields on the shorter end of the curve continue to fall the most.

As such, long-duration assets (with cash flows well into the future, high PEs stocks etc) and crypto continued higher in the recovering market sentiment. The ECB meeting and earnings from large US banks are in focus today.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-14 10:36:13 Market Overview

BTC price trades above $41K

The Top-10 are traded in green zone:
AVAX +4.6%
LUNA +3.2%
SOL +2.2%

Market cap: $2.03T (+2.55%)
BTC dominance: 38.75% (+0.27%)
Fear & Greed Index: 28 (Fear) Open / Comment

2022-04-13 22:58:42 PoW/PoS merge for Ethereum to happen after June

One of the leading Ethereum software developers Tim Beiko said on Twitter that Ethereum won't migrate to new consensus in June. However, in 'the few months after' ETH will go live on Proos-of-Stake.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment

2022-04-13 17:33:19 Dow Jones ‘91 vs Bitcoin ‘21-22

Just an interesting coincidence, nothing more.

Subscribe now:
t.me/therussianmarket Open / Comment