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Unredacted Financial Documents Show Blockfi’s $1.2 Billion Connection With FTX, Alameda Research

Published

6 days ago

January 25, 2023

Unredacted Financial Documents Show Blockfi’s $1.2 Billion Connection With FTX, Alameda Research

Unredacted documents mistakenly sent to the bankruptcy court indicate that the now-defunct crypto lender Blockfi had more than $1.2 billion tied up with FTX and Alameda Research. The accidentally revealed documentation shows that Blockfi’s exposure to the bankrupt crypto firm FTX was more than what the company had previously disclosed.

Unredacted Documents Reveal Blockfi’s $1.2 Billion Exposure to FTX, Alameda Research

It seems that Blockfi had a lot more money tied up with FTX and Alameda Research than what was originally suggested by the firm. A CNBC report indicates that unredacted documents were mistakenly sent to the bankruptcy court, revealing that Blockfi had $415.9 million connected to FTX, and roughly $831.3 million in loans to Alameda Research.

The latest Blockfi filing shows that $1.2 billion is allegedly tied up with both FTX and Alameda, both of which have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. When Blockfi’s bankruptcy case started in New Jersey, lawyers originally quoted the loans to Alameda as being around $671 million, and another $355 million was said to be locked on the FTX exchange. Blockfi paused withdrawals on Nov. 10, 2022, one day before FTX filed for bankruptcy.

Two days before the pause, Blockfi co-founder Flori Marquez told the crypto community that “Blockfi is an independent business entity” amid the FTX drama. She further noted that Blockfi had a “$400 million line of credit from [FTX US] (not FTX.com) and will remain an independent entity until at least July 2023.” Less than a month later, Blockfi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the state of New Jersey.

CNBC further reports that Blockfi has 125 staff members still on Blockfi’s payroll and a total of $11.9 million will be collected on an annualized basis. Furthermore, five top Blockfi executives are still earning $822,000 for the year, according to a presentation designed by M3 Partners. CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos reached out to Blockfi, but the company “did not respond to a request for comment.”

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What do you think is the impact of this Blockfi revelation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Jamie Redman

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 6,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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$1.25 billion

Arbitrum-Based Vest Exchange Emerges, Aims To Democratize Perpetual Futures

Published

6 hours ago

January 31, 2023

Jamie Redman

Arbitrum-Based Vest Exchange Emerges, Aims To Democratize Perpetual Futures

A new decentralized exchange (dex) on Arbitrum, called Vest Exchange, was announced this past weekend, and the team that created the project said the platform aims to focus on democratizing perpetual futures. The team behind Vest further detailed that the new Arbitrum dex is backed by firms such as Jane Street, QCP Capital, and Big Brain Holdings.

Vest Aims to Revolutionize Defi Perpetuals With Cutting-Edge Risk-Engine and Backing From Prominent Investment Firms

The creators of a new dex platform built on the Arbitrum layer two blockchain announced on Jan. 28, 2023, that the project has emerged from stealth mode. The project, called Vest Exchange, closed a seed round with investments from firms including Jane Street, QCP Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Pear VC, Cogitent, Moonshot Research, Fugazi Labs, Ascendex, Builder Capital, Infinity Ventures Crypto, and Robert Chen (Ottersec). Vest Exchange also provided a summary of the project in a blog post published on the same day.

Vest believes the decentralized finance ecosystem depends on decentralized exchange platforms for its strength. However, the team at Vest believes that current prominent exchanges have limitations, including “high barriers for market listing, lack of risk management, and unclear risk and return for liquidity providers.”

Vest explained that the dex solves these three issues by leveraging a special risk-engine. Further, research and modern techniques are utilized to “unlock new illiquid markets faster than any other centralized or decentralized exchange.” Vest’s blog post adds:

We hope that Vest will elevate the standard of perpetual futures trading by democratizing access to unique trading opportunities in all markets.

Arbitrum is a layer two project and the fourth-largest blockchain in decentralized finance, with $1.25 billion in total value locked. The largest protocol on the Arbitrum network, in terms of total value locked, is GMX, a decentralized derivatives exchange that connects to the Avalanche blockchain network. The blog post for Vest’s launch notes that a Discord and Testnet will be launched soon. Vest has also established a research forum, research.vest.xyz, for general research into decentralized finance.

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$1.25 billion, Arbitrum, AscendEx, Avalanche blockchain network, Big Brain Holdings, Blog Post, Builder Capital, Cogitent, decentralized exchange, decentralized finance, DeFi, Defi Dex, defi research, democratizing, DEX, Discord, Fugazi Labs, GMX, high barriers, illiquid markets, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Jane Street, Layer two, Liquidity providers, market listing, modern techniques, Moonshot Research, Pear VC, perpetual futures, QCP Capital, research forum, Return, risk management, risk-engine, Robert Chen (Ottersec), seed round, testnet, total value locked, Vest Exchange

What are your thoughts on Vest Exchange’s mission to democratize perpetual futures trading and shake up the decentralized finance landscape? Let us know in the comments below.

Jamie Redman

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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Best Options this Week

Published

8 hours ago

January 30, 2023

Chris Davis

Looking for the best options this week? The government and the Federal Reserve have created plenty of volatility for options traders to sink their teeth into. Whether you want to play the NASDAQ’s meteoric rise or the buzz redirected into recovery stocks, you may want to look into options trading strategies. As with any trading strategy, the most important aspect is to match the trade with your personality. If you don’t have the stomach to weather an earnings announcement, you don’t have to.

Here are the best options this week for every trading blueprint.

Quick Look at the Best Options This Week:

Peloton
NextEra Energy
Baidu
Zoom
Progressive

1. Peloton (NASDAQ: PTON)

Peloton (NASDAQ: PTON) makes interactive fitness equipment sold in North America and abroad. It offers live streamed, on demand and interactive touch screens such as the Peloton Tread, Peloton Bike and digital applications for virtual exercise classes. Peloton currently has 2.9 million subscription users and counting.

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.1 billion. Peloton’s 52-week low is $8.73 and its 52-week high is $127.57. Its high liquidity levels trade an average of 12,671,135 shares per day and 2021 revenues hit $4.02 billion.

2. NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE)

Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, NextEra Energy Inc. is a leading clean energy company. It owns and operates 2 businesses — Florida Power & Light Company and NextEra Energy Resources. Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in the U.S. and serves more than 5.7 million customers.

The energy stock has a market cap of $158.162 billion and in 2021 a EPS of $0.84. It has a 52-week low of $67.22 and a 52-week high of $93.73. NextEra Energy has an annual dividend yield of $1.62 per share. It has high liquidity and trades more than 10.4 million shares per day. NextEra Energy has generated revenue of $17.1 billion in 2021.

3. Baidu (NYSE: BIDU)

Baidu is a global leader in providing of internet search services. It operates business through 2 segments – Baidu Core and iQIYI. It offers a range of products including Baidu App, Baidu Feed, Haokan and Quanmin.

The internet service stock has a market cap of $49.1 billion. It has a 52-week low of $101.62 and a 52-week high of $187.48. Baidu has high liquidity and trades more than 9.3 million shares per day. It generated revenue of $107 billion in 2019.

4. Zoom (NYSE: ZM)

Headquartered in San Jose, California, Zoom is a communications technology company. It helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Its product is a reliable cloud platform for video, voice, content sharing and chat. Zoom runs on mobile devices and desktops.

The tech stock has a market cap of $33.36 billion and has an EPS of $1.44. It has a 52-week low of $79.03 and a 52-week high of $404.34. Zoom has high liquidity and trades more than 5.37 million shares per day. It generated revenue of $4.09 million in 2021.

5. Progressive (NYSE: PGR)

Founded in 1937, The Progressive Corporation is a leading insurance provider in the U.S. It provides insurance for personal, commercial, auto and residential properties. The Progressive Corporation has over 18 million customers across the U.S.

The insurance stock has a market cap of $69.52 billion and an EPS of $8.63. It has a 52-week low of $89.35 and a 52-week high of $122.23. The Progressive Corporation has an annual dividend yield of $0.4 per share. It has high liquidity and trades more than 3.06 million shares per day. It generated revenue of $$47.7 billion in 2021.

Whether you already know how to trade options or you are looking for ideas, the Benzinga options newsletter is a great resource for up to date strategies for today’s market. As the market changes, your strategies must change. Read the newsletter for a guide to help you navigate today’s once in a lifetime opportunities. You can also register for Benzinga Pro to see charts, key data and additional information on every stock, cryptocurrency, option, etc. you choose.

Best Option Strategy to Use this Week

It also seems as though cooler heads are prevailing when it comes to stopping the spread of COVID-19. Daily reported cases are down from July highs. Daily reported deaths are down 75% from April highs. Let’s hope they stay there.

Most options strategists are assuming a short term bottom in the market at our current levels. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) put/call ratio now stands at 0.5, meaning the market is bullish on itself. If you want to speculate, smart money is moving slightly away from downside protection to capture more of the upside potential. Consider bull call spreads on stocks you like and perhaps even a synthetic long position in a recovery stock.

Best Options Brokers

Your options broker is just as important as your strategy — your broker helps to define your execution. Here are some of the reputable brokers you can depend on for industry-standard uptime, negligible latency and a powerful user interface.

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Navigating Today’s Volatile Market

Regardless of your risk tolerance, take the time to understand the benefits and risks of trading options before getting in over your head. We are currently in 1 of the most unpredictable markets of the modern era. There is no shame in leaning on your paper trading options account to learn how you react to strategies in the real world and to build a personalized data set.

Should you choose to join the battlefield, make sure that you give yourself a set of unbreakable rules. Be honest about your trading personality and even more honest about your trading ability. Successful traders dedicate extraordinary amounts of time and resources to success in trading, so make sure you put in your time. That time is more important than any amount of money you could ever invest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do people trade options?

People buy call options when the price of a stock is expected to rise. People buy put options when the price of a stock is expected to fall. On the other hand, people sell calls when the price is expected to fall or stay the same and people sell puts when the price is expected to rise or stay the same.

How do you make money off options?

Options profit is calculated by:

(Difference in buying and selling price of premium) (lot size) (number of lots)

24 hours

Bitcoin Rise In First Month Of 2023 Moves Crypto Fear Index From ‘Extreme Fear’ To ‘Greed’

Published

12 hours ago

January 30, 2023

Jamie Redman

Bitcoin Rise In First Month Of 2023 Moves Crypto Fear Index From ‘Extreme Fear’ To ‘Greed’

Last month, statistics showed that the Crypto Fear and Greed Index (CFGI) had a score of 25, indicating “extreme fear.” Thirty days later, with a 39% increase in bitcoin prices against the U.S. dollar, the current CFGI score on Jan. 30, 2023, is 61, reflecting “greed.”

Crypto Fear Index Jumps to ‘Greed,’ Etoro Market Analyst Attributes Bitcoin’s Rise to Shift in Investor Expectations

Records show bitcoin (BTC) saw significant value growth in the first month of 2023, with a 39% increase against the U.S. dollar. On Jan. 29, 2023, BTC reached a 30-day high of $23,954 per unit, with prices ranging from that value to a low of $22,988 over the past 24 hours. This rise has significantly raised the Crypto Fear and Greed Index (CFGI) hosted on alternative.me, moving it from the “extreme fear” zone to the “greed” range in the course of the month.

Last week, CFGI records showed a score of around 50, indicating “neutral,” according to alternative.me. Seven days later, the CFGI score rose to 61, meaning “greed.” The website states that when crypto investors become too greedy, it signals the market is due for a correction. The CFGI score has remained above the neutral range of 50 since Jan. 23, 2023, after spending a significant amount of time below 45 prior to Jan. 14, 2023. On Monday, bitcoin (BTC) prices saw weakness against the U.S. dollar as traders took profits.

Crypto Fear and Greed Index (CFGI) chart on Jan. 30, 2023.

In a note sent to Bitcoin.com News, Etoro’s market analyst, Simon Peters, attributed the halt in crypto price declines to a change in investor expectations regarding inflation and interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. Peters also noted that financial institution Goldman Sachs “published a positive note on Bitcoin,” citing a market performance sheet that was recently published, which shows Bitcoin outperforming all other major asset classes, including gold, real estate, and emerging markets.

“Bitcoin has performed extremely well so far in 2023, rising nearly 43% since 1 January on the eToro platform. From its lowest point in the past year – $15,523 – reached on 9 November, it’s up just over 50%,” Peters wrote. “With inflation and interest rate expectations now turning, most asset classes have halted the declines witnessed in 2022 as investors begin to think ‘where next’ for their portfolios beyond the 2022 rate hike crash,” the Etoro market analyst added.

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What do you think is driving the increase in bitcoin prices and the shift in the Crypto Fear and Greed Index towards ‘greed’? Share your thoughts in the comments below.