Aug 10, 2017

As Bitcoin hits all-time high, cryptocurrency bubble fears rise

AP

Analysts are fearful that cryptocurrencies might be approaching a bubble after this week saw Bitcoin reach an all-time high market cap with a single bitcoin trading over $3,500, per Reuters.

  • By the numbers: All cryptocurrencies combined now have a total market cap of $120 billion — Bitcoin only makes up 46% of that — whereas their combined market cap at the start of the year was $17.5 billion.
  • The argument for a bubble: Some analysts see cryptocurrencies as nothing more than a fad with their value created from nothing. And they're not accepted by the vast majority of retailers, lessening their usefulness.
  • The argument against a bubble: Cryptocurrency proponents believe that their finite supply and technological security makes them an ideal solution in today's age, citing innovations like a United Nations pilot program that used Ethereum, the second most popular cryptocurrency, to give cash to Syrian refugees.

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Rebecca Falconer
Updated 5 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Trump threatens to "assume control" of Minneapolis over unrest

Flames from a nearby fire illuminate protesters standing on a barricade in front of the Third Police Precinct in Minneapolis on Thursday. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump threatened via Twitter early Friday to send the national guard to Minneapolis following three days of massive demonstrations and unrest in the city over George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody this week.

Details: "I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right," Trump tweeted after a police station was torched by some protesters.

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Ina Fried
18 mins ago - Technology

Twitter: Trump's Minnesota tweet violated rules on violence

Twitter said Friday morning that a tweet from President Trump in which he threatened shooting in response to civil unrest in Minneapolis violated the company's rules. The company said it was leaving the tweet up in the public interest.

Why it matters: The move exacerbates tensions between Twitter and Trump over the company's authority to label or limit his speech and, conversely, the president's authority to dictate rules for a private company.

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Ursula Perano
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Protests over George Floyd's death grip Minneapolis

Protesters cheer as the Third Police Precinct burns behind them on in Minneapolis on Thursday night. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Cheering protesters set a Minneapolis police station on fire Thursday night in the third night of unrest following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in the city, per AP.

The state of play: Minnesota's governor on Thursday activated the state's national guard following violent outbreaks throughout the week, as the nation waits to see if the officers involved will be charged with murder.

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