Data from BitPay shows that Litecoin (LTC) is responsible for 34.05% of the net transaction count on the platform, indicating a spike in usage prior to its third halving event. This puts LTC in a position to potentially surpass Bitcoin (BTC) in number of BitPay transactions, as BTC currently holds 36.47%. The two most popular cryptocurrencies make up 70.5% of BitPay activity, while Ethereum (ETH) and Dogecoin (DOGE) combined only make up 15.5%. Despite the anticipation leading up to the halving event, LTC has since experienced a sell-off and is currently trading at $86.32, down almost 4% in the previous 24 hours.

MicroStrategy co-founder Michael Saylor is confident that his company will remain an attractive option for investors looking to gain exposure to Bitcoin, even if a spot Bitcoin ETF is approved in the future. Saylor stated that MicroStrategy will continue to add more Bitcoin to its balance sheet, potentially using the proceeds from a planned $750 million share sale.

After Litecoin's halving event, its price dropped, as the halving event caused the miners' rewards to be halved. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that Bitcoin will have a similar outcome in its halving event next year. Historically, Litecoin's price has fallen after halving, while Bitcoin has often experienced rebounds before and after these events. Additionally, Bitcoin has received a boost due to BlackRock's application for a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund.

After the media released news of the federal prosecutor's fraud allegations against Binance, Bitcoin briefly dropped below $29,000.

According to a report by digital asset manager Grayscale, macro factors pose the biggest risk to crypto valuations and the future of the market depends on the US economy achieving a "soft landing" to avoid a recession. Grayscale's research director, Zach Pandl, warned that if the economy falters or the Federal Reserve raises rates further, the crypto recovery may pause in the near-term. However, if economic data continues to support the soft landing thesis, major token valuations could catch up with the rally in other risky assets. Bitcoin may appreciate if the Fed decides to tolerate a long period of above-target inflation, given its role as an alternative non-sovereign money system and inflation hedge.

Brian Armstrong, co-founder of Coinbase, has expressed his support for Bitcoin's progress and announced plans to incorporate Lightning into their platform. He refuted claims that Coinbase has ignored Bitcoin, stating that they have onboarded more people to Bitcoin than any other company. Armstrong's comments come amid criticism of Coinbase's alleged neglect of Bitcoin and its Layer 2 technology, Lightning Network, which promises faster and cheaper transactions. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded to Armstrong's announcement, initially questioning Coinbase's focus on Bitcoin and Lightning, but later expressing willingness to collaborate. Dorsey reiterated the importance of an open protocol for money transmission, aligning with the philosophy of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently had a friendly conversation on Twitter about the potential and future of Bitcoin and its Layer-2 solution, the Lightning Network. The conversation highlights the growing interest in Layer-2 solutions for Bitcoin. Dorsey suggested that Coinbase should allocate more resources towards Bitcoin and Layer-2 technologies and promoted the concept of an open protocol for monetary transmission. The Lightning Network is a Layer-2 solution that addresses scalability concerns with Bitcoin by processing transactions outside of the main Bitcoin network, making transactions almost instant and essentially free.

Bitcoin, Ether, and most other top non-stablecoin tokens saw gains in Asian trading on Wednesday, with Bitcoin recovering above the US$29,000 support line. Binance's BNB token led the winners after the exchange relaunched in Japan on Tuesday. Litecoin also posted notable gains ahead of its halving event, while the Forkast 500 NFT index was down. Despite mixed corporate results causing US equity futures to decline, the total crypto market capitalization rose slightly in the past 24 hours to US$1.18 trillion.

A popular crypto strategist has issued a warning that the decentralized oracle network Chainlink (LINK) may experience a significant downward movement. Rekt Capital, a pseudonymous analyst, believes that Chainlink looks bearish after failing to break through its macro downtrend resistance. The failed breakout suggests that LINK is still range-bound, and in a worst-case scenario, Chainlink could correct all the way down to $6.13. Meanwhile, Bitcoin has lost its bullish market structure on the weekly chart, but is still managing to stay above its horizontal support at $29,245.

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has pledged to end the Biden administration's "war on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency" if elected president. Speaking at a campaign event in New Hampshire, DeSantis criticized the current administration's hostile approach to crypto assets and promised to allow Americans to invest in them.

The writer's opinion presented in the following information should not be taken as financial, investment, trading, or any other type of advice. AAVE's price action has fallen to a crucial demand zone, but the futures market sentiment remains bearish. Most altcoins have been exposed to bears' wrath due to the uncertainty surrounding Bitcoin.

The writer's opinion is presented and it is not financial advice. XRP's value has remained above $0.65 after a legal win against the US SEC, leading to a sharp upswing. However, XRP has retraced to the 50% Fib level due to the weakening of Bitcoin. The 50% Fib level has been a crucial rescue for bulls during the past two price pullbacks, and if the trend continues, bulls could see respite near this level.

Bitcoin and Ether prices experienced a drop on Monday morning in Asia, but managed to stay above the support levels of US$29,000 and US$1,800 respectively. The decline was linked to news of a hack at DeFi exchange Curve Finance, which resulted in an estimated loss of US$41 million worth of cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin and Ethereum saw gains over the weekend, with BTC surpassing $29,000 and ETH reaching over $18,000. However, BTC experienced a slight decrease in percentage performance. Other altcoins, such as Litecoin and Dogecoin, also saw minor gains. Shiba Inu was the top gainer with a 5.38% increase in 24 hours, while Toncoin experienced the biggest loss. The global crypto market cap increased by 0.09% to $1.19 trillion. 

According to on-chain analyst Ali, long-term Bitcoin holders have added over 1.10 million BTC to their holdings in the past year, worth approximately $33 billion. This conclusion was drawn from the Bitcoin long-term holder supply, which has seen an increase in the past year. Glassnode reported that this indicator has reached a new all-time high of 14.52 million BTC, equivalent to 75% of the circulating supply, indicating that HODLing is the preferred market dynamic among mature investors or long-term Bitcoin holders. Fundstrat Research predicts that the price of Bitcoin may rise 521% from current levels to $180,000 before its anticipated halving in April 2024.

Grayscale has urged the SEC to approve any qualifying Bitcoin spot ETF applications simultaneously and avoid favoritism. However, Grayscale has also argued that Coinbase should not be considered a suitable surveillance partner for launching a Bitcoin spot ETF. The SEC's decision on these matters could create more clarity and stability in the cryptocurrency market.

Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz has urged his followers to "Buy BTC" in response to the US government's increasing interest expense on its sovereign debt. Analysts predict that the Federal Reserve may be forced to lower its benchmark interest rate again if the government cannot keep up. The US government is currently paying $970 billion per year in interest payments, which is the highest interest expense of all time. This suggests that the central bank may need to inject money into the economy again, which could be bullish for risk assets such as Bitcoin.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has followed the United States Federal Reserve's lead by raising three key interest rates by 25 basis points in an attempt to combat inflation. Despite inflation declining, the ECB has admitted that it is still expected to remain too high for too long. The rapid increase in rates could negatively affect the expansion of loans in the European region and economic activity. Investors are looking towards Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a hedge against inflation, as Bitcoin has remained stable despite the growing rates.

Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, believes that Bitcoin's significant price increase after the collapse of US regional banks is a clear indication that it is the future of money. Wood cites three reasons for her bullish outlook on digital assets, including the potential for Bitcoin to dominate the "money revolution" as a safe store of value.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong faced questioning from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey over his alleged disregard for Bitcoin's lightning network, a layer-2 scaling solution designed to make BTC easier to spend. Armstrong claimed that the next step for crypto was to make payments "instant and free globally" through collective work on layer 2 solutions and user onboarding. While Armstrong did not respond to Dorsey directly,