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Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim leaker just tipped key specs for iPhone 17 Air rival

Samsung’s slimmest phone yet could pack a camera array to rival the S25 Ultra

Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

UAE Holding $40 Billion Worth Bitcoin? Truth or Rumor?

Is the UAE Secretly Stockpiling Bitcoin Reserves

The post UAE Holding $40 Billion Worth Bitcoin? Truth or Rumor? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Recent chatter in the crypto world has revolved around a bold claim that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently witnessed its Bitcoin holdings reach an impressive $40 billion. Perhaps prominent crypto commentator Bitcoin Archive raises questions over this news citing the lack of evidence supporting this bold news. Did the UAE’s Bitcoin holdings truly surge to $40 billion, or is it just a rumor? let’s find it out. 

UAE Bitcoin Holdings Reach $40 Billion

The UAE’s Bitcoin holdings have reportedly reached $40 billion, showcasing its growing interest in cryptocurrencies.

This surge aligns with a global crypto bull market and reflects the UAE’s focus on fostering a crypto-friendly environment. Initiatives like the cryptocurrency center in Dubai have supported blockchain startups, boosting Bitcoin reserves in the country.

Experts believe the UAE will continue expanding its Bitcoin holdings, setting an example for other nations and encouraging institutional investments in Bitcoin. However, earlier Binance’s Former CEO CZ hinted that UAE secretly is increasing its bitcoin reserve. 

No Evidence to Support the Claim

Bitcoin Archive recently pointed out the news provided by Bitcoinist about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) bitcoin holding. However, the Bitcoin Archive says they didn’t provide any credible sources, links, or supporting evidence to validate the $40 billion Bitcoin acquisition.

The “Bitcoinist” website picked it up and stated it as a fact.

No sources cited, no links, nothing.
Search results return nothing.
This would be HUGE news that is widely reported, especially in light on the USA Strategic Reserve commitment by Trump.

The headlines make absurd… pic.twitter.com/RUKBsTinzp

— Bitcoin Archive (@BTC_Archive) December 22, 2024

After searching for trustworthy information, the Bitcoin Archive found no confirmation of such a purchase. They explained that a move as big as this would make global headlines, especially since the UAE has a major impact on the crypto market.

They also mentioned the ongoing discussion about Bitcoin’s role in financial reserves, such as former President Trump’s idea of a U.S. Strategic Reserve.

Questions About the News

Bitcoin Archive also criticized the article on “Bitcoinist.” They noted that it had a flashy headline but lacked any credible details. The author of the piece also did not provide any background information, which further raised doubts about the report’s authenticity.

UAE’s Growing Bitcoin Boom

Between 2023 to June 2024, the UAE saw a massive $34 billion flow into cryptocurrencies, marking a 42% jump from the previous year. Bitcoin has emerged as a key player, holding 19% of the market share, while stablecoins like Tether make up 51%.

Tether even plans to launch a dirham-backed token, showing the UAE’s focus on digital assets. By 2025, crypto users in the UAE are expected to reach 3.78 million.

A report also shows that 72% of UAE residents had invested in Bitcoin by early 2024, with big funds and institutions driving this growth. The UAE is quickly becoming a key player in the crypto world.

Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

FOMO Selling Trigger $1 Billion Liquidations as LINK & SOL Bleed Heavily; What to Do Next?

In the past, Chainlink (LINK) and Solana (SOL) have been among the most discussed altcoins in the crypto markets, but recent market changes are challenging their importance. After the FOMC conference, Chainlink dropped 12% to trade around $21, as its daily gains became a drop of 12%. This is one of the fastest-growing altcoins around, with its post-election rise of 65%. 

Similarly, SOL price dropped 12% in the daily charts while it dropped 20% in the weekly charts. Other coins have also lost big time, with notable drops in Bitcoin, DOGE and Ethereum. Some investors moved into recovery mode, looking for low-cost, low-drop options. One favorite for such bargain hunters is the IntelMarkets (INTL) ICO.

Source: CoinMarketCap

This is in stage eight of its presale after delivering 700% returns to its early investors. IntelMarkets (INTL), an AI-driven narrative and trading platform, is a disruptive offering and can be a key earning point in the future.

Chainlink (LINK) Loses 25% In Three Days

Chainlink (LINK) was struggling with the $30 price range when the market lost momentum due to huge selling pressure. LINK suffered a substantial collapse last Monday as it dropped almost 15%, falling to an intraday low of $26 before settling at $28. The price volatility continued as buyers and sellers struggled for dominance

By December 19, Chainlink (LINK) dropped to a low of $23 before reviving a little late Thursday night/early morning in Asia, the price moved to the $25 range. However, this could not be sustained, and the price is currently around $21.

The $20 price range will be a significant resistance level, and if this is sustained, Chainlink (LINK) might rebound to stay somewhere between the $21 to $25 price level. However, with the markets remaining volatile, there is a wait-and-see mindset amongst traders without exposure to the altcoin.

Solana (SOL) Price Loses 19% 

Solana (SOL) has performed well this year. Its gains on the yearly chart are still 133% as it outperforms many top altcoins, highlighting its fundamental strength. In the recent market drop, SOL price fell over 19% to trade around the $181 range.

SOL price slipped below the $220 support level as growing selling pressure saw the price plummet to $201. SOL has been trading downward since December 8, as its bull run halted after it failed to stay above $235.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Bearish sentiment intensified at the beginning of this week as SOL price rose to an intraday high of $226 before settling at $221. Sellers retained control on Tuesday as SOL price fell to an intraday low of $214 before settling at $227. The drop continued for the next two days as it dropped to $210 levels. SOL is still in the red on late Thursday or early Friday morning, dropping over 14% from $209 to trade at $179 right now.

IntelMarkets (INTL): Reaches $5Mn Landmark In Bear Markets

As the bloodbath in the markets continues, IntelMarkets (INTL) is proving that it has plenty of room for growth. It is labeled as this quarter’s best presale; a token costs just $0.073 in the eighth ICO stage. Since debuting, almost $5 million has been raised in early funding, and the price has soared 700%.

More gains are anticipated as the presale continues and after its listing on Tier-1 exchanges. Industry experts forecast that there might be another 500% jump at its debut, making a strong claim of being this year’s best crypto investment.

Conclusion

With a community of over 3.9 million token holders and a 710% presale increase to date, IntelMarkets (INTL) has shown steady growth. The future looks even better, with a potential 1,000x ROI waiting to be tapped. For those looking to join early, the soon-to-expire INTL20 bonus even offers 20% coins, so holders can start profiting immediately!

Check out the IntelMarkets for more information about the technical platform, or Join the Presale for exclusive benefits. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored press release. Please do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any projects. Read the full disclosure here.

The post FOMO Selling Trigger $1 Billion Liquidations as LINK & SOL Bleed Heavily; What to Do Next? appeared first on The Merkle News.

Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

Fundstrat’s Tom Lee Says Recent Market Dip an Opportunity for Investors – Here’s Why

Veteran investor Tom Lee says investors are better off remaining bullish on markets despite the recent correction in equities and other risk assets.

In a new interview on CNBC, Fundstrat’s head of research says that the correction in equities – which saw the S&P 500 dip from above 6,000 to 5,832 – is likely an opportunity for investors to go long rather than stay cautious.

“This is another buying opportunity in our view. 2024 has proven to be a year where the market’s been strong and it has eluded many opportunities for sustained weakness. I know [December 18th’s] pullback was really painful, but to us, I think the fundamental supporting stocks are intact and I think it’s a good opportunity for investors here.”

Lee notes that the volatility index (VIX) – which measures the stock market’s expectation of volatility based on S&P 500 index options – rose sharply on December 18th. He says that historically, such a rapid rise has correlated with market bottoms.

“The market has been bleeding lower.

If you look at internals for the last ten days, [December 18th] looks capitulatory because not only did we have a 90% down day, but the VIX exploded by 75%. There are only four times in history where it’s risen 60% in a day, so [December 18th] was the fifth time in its 35-year history. Of those four times, the market recovered all of its losses within a week three out of the four times. The fourth time it took a month.

So I think what you had was people panicking to get out of a momentum trade that’s ending because we’re so close to year-end. But here’s the interesting thing. The forward VIX-futures curve barely moved. So it was almost as if people were seeking protection through the VIX on [December 18th].”

As of Friday’s close, the S&P 500 traded at 5,930 points.

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The post Fundstrat’s Tom Lee Says Recent Market Dip an Opportunity for Investors – Here’s Why appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

Samsung’s gigantic 8TB portable SSD just dropped to its best price

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted the 8TB Samsung T5 EVO portable SSD for just $400 right now because that’s, by far, the best discount I’ve ever seen for it. (Before that, its best price was $430, so it’s quite the drop ahead of the holidays.)

We reviewed the Samsung T5 EVO some time ago and gave it a 4-star rating for its small and rugged body plus its decently fast performance. “The T5 EVO is 5Gbps (Gen 1) USB 3.2, meaning that no matter what’s inside, it’s basically capped at 550MB/s.”

Basically, while it may not be rocket-fast, it’s one of the few reliable portable SSDs to come in an enormous 8TB version. That’s an absolute ton of space! If you need a large portable drive to store your photos, videos, and games, you may never need another drive again if you get this one. (That’s over 800,000 regular-sized photos!)

The Samsung T5 EVO uses a USB-C connection and it’s widely compatible with everything from PCs to Macs to gaming consoles and more. While the 8TB’s sale price is especially delicious, the other capacities are also on sale (in case you don’t need this much space):

Don’t miss out on this chance to get a whopping 8TB of portable SSD storage for $400! In fact, if you hurry up, you can still get this one delivered before Christmas.

Save nearly $100 on Samsung’s 8TB portable SSDBuy now at Amazon

Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

How to know if a USB cable is hiding malicious hacker hardware

We expect USB-C cables to perform a specific task: transferring either data or files between devices. We give little more thought to the matter, but malicious USB-C cables can do much more than what we expect.

These cables hide malicious hardware that can intercept data, eavesdrop on phone calls and messages, or, in the worst cases, take complete control of your PC or cellphone. The first of these appeared in 2008, but back then they were very rare and expensive — which meant the average user was largely safeguarded.

Since then, their availability has increased 100-fold and now with both specialist spy retailers selling them as “spy cables” as well as unscrupulous sellers passing them off as legitimate products, it’s all too easy to buy one by accident and get hacked. So, how do you know if your USB-C cable is malicious?

Further reading: We tested 43 old USB-C to USB-A cables. 1 was great. 10 were dangerous

Identifying malicious USB-C cables

Identifying malicious USB-C cables is no easy task since they are designed to look just like regular cables. Scanning techniques have been largely thought of as the best way to sort the wheat from the chaff, which is what industrial scanning company, Lumafield of the Lumafield Neptune industrial scanner fame, recently set out to show.

The company employed both 2D and 3D scanning techniques on the O.MG USB-C cable — a well-known hacked cable built for covert field-use and research. It hides an embedded Wi-Fi server and a keylogger in its USB connector. PCWorld Executive Editor Gordon Ung covered it back in 2021, and it sounds scary as hell.

What Lumafield discovered is interesting to say the least. A 2D X-ray image could identify the cable’s antenna and microcontroller, but only the 3D CT scan could reveal another band of wires connected to a die stacked on top of the cable’s microcontroller. You can explore a 3D model of the scan yourself on Lumafield’s website.

Malicious USB-C

The malicious hardware was visible with a 3D CT scan. 

Lumafield

It confirms the worst — that you can only unequivocally confirm that a USB-C cable harbors malicious hardware with a 3D CT scanner, which unless you’re a medical radiographer or 3D industrial scientist is going to be impossible for you to do. That being so, here are some tips to avoid and identify suspicious USB-C cables without high-tech gear:

  • Buy from a reputable seller: If you don’t know and trust the brand, simply don’t buy. Manufacturers like Anker, Apple, Belkin, and Ugreen have rigorous quality-control processes that prevent malicious hardware parts from making it into cables. Of course, the other reason is simply that you’ll get a better product — 3D scans have similarly revealed how less reputable brands can lack normal USB-C componentry, which can result in substandard performance. If you’re in the market for a new cable right now, see our top picks for USB-C cables.
  • Look for the warning signs: Look for brand names or logos that don’t look right. Strange markings, cords that are inconsistent lengths or widths, and USB-C connectors with heat emanating from them when not plugged in can all be giveaways that a USB-C cable is malicious.
  • Use the O.MG malicious cable detector: This detector by O.MG claims to detect all malicious USB cables.
  • Use data blockers: If you’re just charging and not transferring data, a blocker will ensure no data is extracted. Apart from detecting malicious USB-C cables, the O.MG malicious cable detector functions as such a data blocker.
  • Use a detection service: If you’re dealing with extremely sensitive data for a business or governmental organization, you might want to employ the services of a company like Lumafield to detect malicious cables with 100 percent accuracy. Any such service will come with a fee, but it could be a small price to pay for security and peace of mind.

If this article has been an eye-opener about the dodgy tactics hackers employ to steal your data, you’re not alone. Malicious USB-C cables are still not widely known about. That being so, be sure to share the tips above with your family and friends. The more people that take time to safeguard their data, the safer we will all be in the long run.

Further reading: Buying a USB-C cable? 6 gotchas to watch out for

Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

Need a last-minute gift card? 20 compelling options for tech and beyond

It’s getting late for online gift buying, and the holidays are imminent. If you’ve missed those shipping deadlines, you have one last resort – gift cards.

Yes, yes, we know, they’re not as personal, but they’re better than being empty-handed when your friend or family member tosses you a gift. And if we’re being fair, sometimes, gift cards are better than actually spending money on something your loved ones may not like, may not need, or may already have. In this way, whomever it is you’re shopping for has the chance to buy something they actually want.

From Amazon to Fortnite, from Best Buy to IKEA and Wendy’s, here’s a list of the best last-minute eGift cards we could find for you today.

Best eGift cards to get this holiday

So there you have it—20 great gift card ideas for anyone who’s special in your life. Give them the gift of choosing exactly what they want or need this holiday season!

Published in B&T Latest News 22 December, 2024 by The bizandtech.net Newswire Staff

3 Token Unlocks to Watch Next Week

Token unlocks free up tokens previously restricted under fundraising agreements. Projects schedule these events strategically to reduce market pressure and stabilize prices.

Watch for these three major token unlocks happening next week.

Ethena (ENA)

  • Unlock date: December 25
  • Number of tokens unlocked: 12.86 million ENA
  • Current circulating supply: 2.93 billion ENA

Ethena, a synthetic currency protocol on Ethereum, delivers a solution independent of traditional banking. It also offers global users a dollar-denominated savings tool called the “Internet Bond.”

The protocol’s native token ENA enables holders to participate in governance decisions. On December 25, Ethena will unlock over 12 million ENA valued at $13.73 million, with the allocation directed toward ecosystem development.

ENA token unlockENA Unlock. Source: Tokenomist

Cardano (ADA)

  • Unlock date: December 26
  • Number of tokens unlocked: 18.53 million ADA
  • Current circulating supply: 35.83 billion ADA

Cardano, known for its emphasis on sustainability, security, and scalability, plays a key role in advancing decentralized applications and smart contracts. On December 26, the project will unlock over 18 million ADA tokens, valued at $16.92 million, allocated for staking and the treasury fund reserve.

ADA token unlockADA Unlock. Source: Tokenomist

Immutable (IMX)

  • Unlock date: December 27
  • Number of tokens unlocked: 24.52 million IMX
  • Current circulating supply: 1.69 billion IMX

Immutable, a Layer-2 solution for scaling NFTs on Ethereum, raised $12.5 million in just one hour during its IMX token sale on CoinList in September 2021. By March 2022, it secured $60 million in an investment round, followed by $200 million from investors including ParaFi Capital, Declaration Partners, and Tencent Holdings.

On December 27, Immutable will release 24.52 million IMX tokens. These tokens are designated to support project development and drive growth within the broader Immutable ecosystem.

IMX token unlockIMX Unlock. Source: Tokenomist

Next week’s cliff token unlocks will also include Yield Guild Games (YGG), Eigen Layer (EIGEN), and Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), among others, with a total combined value exceeding $120 million.

The post 3 Token Unlocks to Watch Next Week appeared first on BeInCrypto.