Ethereum Reaches New All-time High Of $2,200

Ethereum Reaches New All-time High Of $2,200

Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) – After China imposed a record antitrust fine on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., the e-commerce giant did an unusual thing: It thanked regulators.“Alibaba would not have achieved our growth without sound government regulation and service, and the critical oversight, tolerance and support from all of our constituencies have been crucial to our development,” the company said in an open letter. “For this, we are full of gratitude and respect.”It’s a sign of how odd China’s crackdown on the power of big tech has been compared with the rest of the world. Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook would likely not express such public gratitude if the U.S. government were to hit Facebook Inc. or Apple Inc. with record antitrust fines.Almost everything about China’s regulatory push is out of the ordinary. Beijing regulators wrapped up their landmark probe in just four months, compared with the years that such investigations take in the U.S. or Europe. They sent a clear message to the country’s largest corporations and their leaders that anti-competitive behavior will have consequences.For Alibaba, the $2.8 billion fine was less severe than many feared and helps lift a cloud of uncertainty hanging over founder Jack Ma’s internet empire. The 18.2 billion yuan penalty was based on just 4% of the internet giant’s 2019 domestic revenue, regulators said. While that’s triple the previous high of almost $1 billion that U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. handed over in 2015, it’s far less than the maximum 10% allowed under Chinese law. Alibaba’s shares rose more than 8% Monday in Hong Kong.“We’re happy to get the matter behind us,” Joseph Tsai, co-founder and vice chairman, said on an investor call on Monday. “These regulatory actions are undertaken to ensure fair competition.”The fine came with a plethora of “rectifications” that Alibaba will have to put in place – such as curtailing the practice of forcing merchants to choose between Alibaba or a competing platform – many of which the company had already pledged to establish. But Tsai said regulators won’t impose radical changes to its e-commerce strategy. Instead, he and other executives pledged to open up Alibaba’s marketplaces more, lower costs for merchants while spending “billions of yuan” to help its clients handle e-commerce.Tsai said the company is unaware of any other antitrust investigations into the company, except for a previously discussed probe into acquisitions and investments by Alibaba and other tech giants.“The required corrective measures will likely limit Alibaba’s revenue growth as a further expansion in market share will be constrained,” Lina Choi, a senior vice president at Moody’s Investors Service, said in a note. “Investments to retain merchants and upgrade products and services will also reduce its profit margins.”Alibaba Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang on Saturday declared his company now ready to move on from its ordeal, while China’s Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily issued assurances that Beijing wasn’t trying to stifle the sector.The Hangzhou-based firm “has escaped possible outcomes such as a forced breakup or divestment of assets. The penalty will not shake up its business model, either,” said Jet Deng, an antitrust lawyer at the Beijing office of law firm Dentons.Beijing remains intent on reining in its internet and fintech giants, a broad campaign that’s wiped more than $250 billion off Alibaba’s valuation since October. The e-commerce giant’s speedy capitulation underscores its vulnerability to further regulatory action – a far cry from just six years ago, when Alibaba openly contested one agency’s censure over counterfeit goods on Taobao and eventually forced the State Administration for Industry and Commerce to backtrack on its allegations.On Monday, shares in Alibaba’s fellow internet giants from social media titan Tencent Holdings Ltd. to food delivery leader Meituan and JD.com Inc. fell on fears they could draw similar scrutiny. “It’s exactly what the market is thinking right now: Tencent and Meituan are next in line if the same standards are to be applied, but even the worst won’t be so bad,” said Zhuang Jiapeng, a fund manager at Shenzhen JM Capital Co.Beyond antitrust, government agencies are said to be scrutinizing other parts of Ma’s empire, including Ant Group Co.’s consumer-lending businesses and Alibaba’s extensive media holdings. And the shock of the crackdown will continue to resonate with peers from Tencent and Baidu Inc. to Meituan, forcing them to tread far more carefully on business expansions and acquisitions for some time to come.What Bloomberg Intelligence SaysChina’s record fine on Alibaba may lift the regulatory overhang that has weighed on the company since the start of an anti-monopoly probe in late December. The 18.2 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) fine, to penalize the anti-competitive practice of merchant exclusivity, is equivalent to 4% of Alibaba’s 2019 domestic sales. Still, the company may have to be conservative with acquisitions and its broader business practices.– Vey-Sern Ling and Tiffany Tam, analystsClick here for the full research.The investigation into Alibaba was one of the opening salvos in a campaign seemingly designed to curb the power of China’s internet leaders, which kicked off after Ma infamously rebuked “pawn shop” Chinese lenders, regulators who don’t get the internet, and the “old men” of the global banking community. Those comments set in motion an unprecedented regulatory offensive, including scuttling Ant’s $35 billion initial public offering.It remains unclear whether the watchdog or other agencies might demand further action. Regulators are said, for instance, to be concerned about Alibaba’s ability to sway public discourse and want the company to sell some of its media assets, including the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s leading English-language newspaper.Read more: China Presses Alibaba to Sell Media Assets, Including SCMPChina’s top financial regulators now see Tencent as the next target for increased supervision, Bloomberg News has reported. And the central bank is said to be leading discussions around establishing a joint venture with local technology giants to oversee the lucrative data they collect from hundreds of millions of consumers, which would be a significant escalation in regulators’ attempts to tighten their grip over the country’s internet sector.“The high fine puts the regulator in the media spotlight and sends a strong signal to the tech sector that such types of exclusionary conduct will no longer be tolerated,” said Angela Zhang, author of “Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism” and director of the Centre for Chinese Law at the University of Hong Kong. “It’s a stone that kills two birds.”For now, it appears investors are just glad it wasn’t worse. In its statement, the State Administration for Market Regulation concluded Alibaba had used data and algorithms “to maintain and strengthen its own market power and obtain improper competitive advantage.” Its practice of imposing a “pick one from two” choice on merchants “shuts out and restricts competition” in the domestic online retail market, according to the statement.The firm will be required to implement “comprehensive rectifications,” including strengthening internal controls, upholding fair competition and protecting businesses on its platform and consumers’ rights, the regulator said. It will need to submit reports on self-regulation to the authority for three consecutive years.The company will have to make adjustments but can now “start over,” Zhang wrote in a memo to Alibaba’s employees Saturday.“We believe market concerns over the anti-monopoly investigation on BABA are addressed by SAMR’s recent decision and penalties,” Jefferies analysts wrote in a research note entitled “A New Starting Point.”Indeed, The People’s Daily said in its commentary Saturday that the punishment was intended merely to “prevent the disorderly expansion of capital.”“It doesn’t mean denying the significant role of platform economy in overall economic and social development, and doesn’t signal a shift of attitude in terms of the country’s support to the platform economy,” the newspaper said. “Regulations are for better development, and ‘reining in’ is also a kind of love.”(Updates with shares and commentary from the fifth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Ethereum Price Prediction: ETH Could Soon Rally Above $2,200

The Ethereum price rallied during the weekend as interest in digital currencies kept rising. The ETH price soared to an all-time high of $2,192, which is slightly below the important psychological level of $2,200.

Ethereum news: ETH rallied during the weekend mostly because of the price action in the Bitcoin market. After weeks of struggling, the BTC price managed to move and stay above $60,000 during the weekend.

And as I wrote on Friday, the price is about to have a major breakout because it has finished forming the ascending triangle pattern. Historically, other digital currencies, including ETH, usually track the performance of BTC.

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ETH also rallied because of the performance of the DeFi industry. As shown above, after weeks of consolidation, the industry has continued doing well. The total value locked rose to more than $51 billion, led by the resurgent Uniswap. The DeFi ecosystem is important for ETH since all these projects are built on the network.

DeFi Total Value Locked Growth

Ethereum Price Prediction

The daily chart below reveals that the ETH price managed to move above the important resistance at $2,036 on April 2. This was a notable price since the currency had struggled to move above it in February this year. In the past few days, as shown in green, the price has been in a consolidation mode and has moved slightly above the 25-day and 15-day moving averages.

Therefore, in my view, it is just a matter of time before the ETH price breaks out above $2,200 as it eyes $2,500, as I have predicted before. However, a drop below $1,927 will invalidate this trend.

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ETH price chart

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How to Stake Ethereum on Coinbase • 4 Easy Steps • Benzinga

The Ethereum network is in the process of upgrading its blockchain. If you want to transact on Ethereum today, it’ll cost you anywhere from $10 to $100, depending on the type of transaction you want to perform. Due to Ethereum’s proof-of-work model, the network can only process about 15 transactions per second. The Eth 2.0 upgrade will improve both the cost and transaction throughput of Ethereum’s blockchain.

This upgrade to Ethereum will replace the crypto miners with staked Ethereum, a model known as proof-of-stake (POS). Anyone who owns Ether tokens can stake their tokens on the Eth 2.0 chain, and you can earn rewards for doing so. Currently, the interest rate equivalent of these rewards is about 7.5% annually.

To run your own validator node, you’ll need 32 Ethereum tokens. However, cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase allow anyone to easily stake their Ethereum tokens with no minimum required.

Step 1: Make a Coinbase account.

If you don’t already have a Coinbase account, you’ll need to create one via the Coinbase mobile app. Signing up for Coinbase is a simple process –– all you have to do is enter your name, email, and location, then create a secure password.

Once you’ve made an account you’ll need to verify your identity for tax purposes. Some documentation you’ll need is your driver’s license, the last 4 digits of your Social Security number and your date of birth. Once you’re verified, you can purchase any cryptocurrency supported on Coinbase’s exchange.

Step 2: Purchase Ethereum tokens.

Staking Ethereum requires you to purchase Ether tokens. You can buy Ethereum tokens directly on Coinbase, making it easy for you to buy and stake your Ethereum tokens all in one place. You can purchase Ether tokens in a similar way to stocks: as a market order or a limit order. Market orders will purchase Ether tokens at market price, while limit orders only purchase Ether tokens if it hits a prespecified price that you set when placing your limit order.

Step 3: Join the waitlist.

Unfortunately, you can’t stake Ethereum tokens on Coinbase right away. Due to the high demand to stake Ethereum, Coinbase created a waitlist that puts you in line to stake your Ether tokens. The wait time can vary, but the sooner you join the waitlist, the sooner you’ll be able to earn interest on your Ethereum tokens. If you want to get started staking right away, Kraken offers Ethereum staking without a waitlist.

Step 4: Stake your Ethereum tokens.

Since Coinbase runs the validator nodes, all you need to do is deposit any amount of Ether tokens to stake and the exchange will do the rest. Once you’ve staked your Ethereum tokens on the Eth 2.0 network, you can sit back, relax, and watch your cryptocurrency portfolio earn interest without doing anything.

Proof-of-Stake (PoS) vs Proof-of-Work (PoW)

Bitcoin, the 1st public blockchain, uses a proof-of-work (PoW) validation model to verify transactions on the blockchain. Many other blockchains followed suit — Litecoin, Ethereum and Dash are all PoW blockchains. This validation model relies on a network of cryptocurrency miners that use powerful computers to secure the blockchain. However, PoW uses immense amounts of electricity, and these blockchains can’t handle nearly as many transactions as proof-of-stake chains can.

Proof-of-Stake (PoS) was 1st used in Peercoin, an altcoin that launched back in 2013. Crypto engineer Sunny King ideated this proof-of-stake blockchain as a solution to many inefficiencies of the PoW model. Instead of using energy-intensive cryptocurrency miners, users can stake their tokens to act as validators on the blockchain. If the validator tries to cheat the system in any way, their funds can be seized.

Staking cryptocurrency in this way secures the network from fraudulent transactions. The more cryptocurrency you stake, the more influence you have over the blockchain; however, the more crypto you stake, the more you risk losing if you try to cheat the system. When you stake your Ether tokens, a computer program will validate transactions on your behalf accurately, so you don’t need to do anything else to earn interest once your tokens are staked.

Pros and Cons of Staking Ethereum

You should evaluate your goals as an investor before deciding whether to stake your Ethereum tokens. Cryptocurrencies are one of the most volatile asset classes you can invest in, so you should have a high-risk tolerance if you decide to stake Ethereum.

Staking Ethereum will earn you interest on your principal investment. This interest, projected to settle around 4% to 8% annually, is paid in Ether tokens. This is great if you think Ethereum will appreciate in value because if this happens your interest will increase in value as well.

The biggest risk of staking your Ether tokens is associated with the volatility of Ethereum. If Ethereum tokens crash in value, you won’t be able to sell your tokens if Eth 2.0 hasn’t been launched yet. Staking Ethereum is only for investors who see Ethereum as a long-term investment.

Staking Rewards on Coinbase

The rewards for staking your Ethereum tokens on Coinbase is around 7% annually. This rate fluctuates with the number of Ethereum staked on Eth 2.0, so expect this interest to decrease up until Eth 2.0 launches. Once Eth 2.0 replaces the current Ethereum network, validators will earn rewards for transactions on Ethereum’s blockchain.

Also, staking your Ethereum on Coinbase will net you 25% less interest than staking independently. You need 32 Ether tokens to stake your crypto as an independent node, and you can do so on Ethereum software wallets like Argent. If you don’t have 32 Ethereum tokens to stake but still want to earn interest, you can stake any amount of Ether on Coinbase.

How Does Staking Work?

When you stake your Ethereum, you won’t be able to withdraw your cryptocurrency until the launch of Eth 2.0. The launch date hasn’t been set, but the Ethereum foundation is working hard to push out the update as soon as they can. It’s expected that Eth 2.0 mainnet will launch at the end of 2021, but some speculate the upgrade won’t be finished until early 2022.

Staking tokens is a way to validate transactions on a proof-of-stake blockchain. While both Bitcoin and Ethereum currently use proof-of-work to validate transactions through cryptocurrency miners, this process is very inefficient and power-intensive. By staking your Ethereum tokens on Eth 2.0, you’re directly supporting the upgrade to Ethereum’s ecosystem. This upgrade will give Ethereum’s network much more utility, as transactions will be far less expensive and much quicker.

Is Staking Ethereum Profitable?

If the value of Ethereum stays constant or rises, staking Ethereum is a great way to increase your return on investment. Instead of simply holding the asset, you’re able to earn interest that’s paid in Ethereum to accumulate more cryptocurrency. Since Ethereum is a volatile asset, a big risk involved with staking Ethereum tokens on Eth 2.0 is that your investment is no longer liquid. You need to be okay with not being able to sell your investment until Eth 2.0 launches, which may still be 1 year away.

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