Coin News

Bitcoin payments firm BitPay unveiled a new bitcoin debit card during a demo session at Consensus 2016 today.

Stocks finished higher on the first day of May with the Dow gaining triple-digits.

Many investors will be familiar with the cliche of "sell in May and go away," though as Akin Oyedele noted over the weekend, this is kind of silly.

First, the scoreboard:

• Dow: 17, 893, +119, (+0.7%)
• S&P 500: 2,081, +16, (+0.8%)
• Nasdaq: 4,818, +43, (+0.9%)
• WTI crude oil: $44.90, -2.2%

US Economy

It's a busy week for the US economy and things got kicked off with a couple reports out of the manufacturing sector which showed things got better in April. 

The Institute for Supply Management's latest PMI came in at 50.8, indicating expansion in the US manufacturing sector but at a slower pace than in March. This report's prices paid sub-index, however, was a complete blowout, rising to 59.0 in response to higher commodities prices. 

Commentary in this report indicated that the auto industry is still going strong while things are still "sluggish overall" but showing some signs of picking up. 

Markit Economics' final PMI reading for April hit 50.8, in-line with the report's preliminary reading earlier this month, though Markit's Chris Williamson was a bit more downbeat on how things look in the US manufacturing sector. 

"The April PMI data suggest there's no end in sight to the current downturn in manufacturing activity," Williamson said in a release. 

Elsewhere in the economy, Bob Bryan noted that the calls from big names on Wall Street for fiscal stimulus out of Washington are getting louder. However, the current state of the US government doesn't at all suggest we're getting closer to the kinds of big investment folks like Carl Icahn and Larry Fink have hinted at in recent months. 

The federal budget has, however, stopped being a drag on GDP and the market has noticed: stocks that benefit from a government tailwind have outperformed over the last several months. 

Global Economy

Mohamed El-Erian had bad news for investors on Monday. 

Speaking at the Milken Conference in Los Angeles, El-Erian said, "The growth model for the advanced world is getting exhausted, and for emerging markets it's getting contaminated."

El-Erian, we'd note, is the recent author of "The Only Game In Town," which says that central bank policies are only going to go so far to fix the global economy. 

Not unlike the aforementioned Wall Street bigwigs calling for more government spending to boost the economy, El-Erian's argument is a bit less prescriptive but does make clear our current path is not going to be one that leads to prosperity. Bummer!

Linette Lopez, who was in the room for El-Erian's presentation on Monday, noted that after he told attendees that the road we're going down with the global economy ends it will "stop right there," nervous laughter followed. 

Debt

It was a mixed day for municipal finance.

Atlantic City made a $1.8 million bond payment to avoid default. 

Puerto Rico, in contrast, said Sunday it would not make a $422 million bond payment due Monday, thus defaulting on debt owed by its Government Development Bank. 

And look, I am by no means an expert on the municipal bond market. Hardly even a tourist! For more on the state of municipal finance in the US you should read Kristi Culpepper on Medium or Joe Mysak at Bloomberg. 

Speaking of defaults, the high-yield default rate for the energy sector has been pushed up to 13%, topping the 9.7% high seen back in 1999, according to Fitch Ratings. The bankruptcy filing from Ultra Petroleum and Midstate Petroleum over the weekend added $3.1 billion to high-yield energy default volume this year. 

Fitch expects the default rate in the high-yield energy space will hit 20% this year. 

Passive Investing

So, here's an argument that passive investing makes markets more efficient and doesn't really — at all — risk markets becoming a "socialist" construct in which we all just get a set return and no one can outperform. 

I'm expecting people won't love this one, mostly because people seem to really like the idea that low-cost, passively-managed index funds pose a clear and present danger to financial markets. 

But the post, constructed from work done by the great finance blogger "Jesse Livermore" over the weekend, not only argues that there's nothing to worry about with the rise of passive investing, rise but that this increase makes markets more efficient.

Much of the conversation in and around the investing world assumes that if you know some stuff you can find a stock or an investment that will, over time, beat the market. But the average return of active managers, Livermore illustrates, must — for a specific index of securities — equal the market average return. Include fees and your chances of beating the market are very, very slim. 

The big event this weekend was the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. And while Warren Buffett is perhaps the most famous stock-picker in America, he spent nearly 15 minutes going on about how the only thing an individual investor should be doing with their money is putting it in a low-cost S&P 500 fund. 

The fees, in Buffett's view, will almost certainly make performance in actively-managed investments worse, but the bigger problem is in finding a manager than can outperform. Again and again. 

If the argument holds up that more passive money creates more efficient markets because only the best managers are left running money, this would make Buffett's argument even stronger. 

Of course, as Buffett noted, no one selling investment advice wants to sell advice that says, "Just do this one, easy, cheap thing," because, well, that doesn't pay. 

Additionally

A new ECB paper says that it looks like someone is leaking US economic data. 

Warren Buffett's non-answer about Coke on Saturday is exactly what the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting is all about. 

Morgan Stanley questioned the dominance of Bloomberg and its clients were nonplussed. 

There was some Bitcoin news out Monday and Izzy Kaminska is pretty sure that this is, well, like most Bitcoin news: dodgy. 

SEE ALSO: The most disproportionately popular job in every state

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NOW WATCH: FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: The single largest threat to the global economy

A Bitcoin-style virtual currency could save Europe’s power grids from reaching breaking point as more and more “prosumers” come on line, the...

The post An Energy Blockchain for European Prosumers appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Fintech Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

Thanks to helpful regulations, Europe has become a hotbed of fintech activity, and deals in this region have tripled in the last year.

But the looming threat of the "Brexit" could shake up the way investors pour their money into the region.

European and Israeli fintech companies raised $570 million in 95 deals in the first quarter of 2016, according to Tech.eu. This marks an increase from $561 million in 32 deals in Q1 2015. These funding amounts and deal total include mergers, acquisitions, and fundraising rounds.

These figures indicate that funding amounts have stayed consistent year-over-year while the total number of deals has increased, which means the amount per deal is shrinking.

The U.K. still leads fintech funding in Europe with 23 deals, or 25% of all funding in Q1 2016. The two biggest deals involved British fintech companies, as digital-only bank Starling raised $102 million, while remittances firm WorldRemit raised $45 million.

But the U.K. position could change as the threat of the "Brexit" looms. The U.K. will decide in June if it will remain a member of the European Union. This vote is already causing some unease among foreign investors, as 31% say they intend to reduce or freeze investments until the situation resolves.

Germany ranked second with 14 deals in Q1 2016. German alternative lender Sportcap participated in the third-largest European deal in that timeframe with $34 million. If the U.K. does leave the EU, then investors would likely look at the European fintech landscape differently, and Germany could see more fintech investments as a result.

The increasing number of fintech deals in Europe demonstrates that we’ve entered the most profound era of change for financial services companies since the 1970s brought us index mutual funds, discount brokers and ATMs.

No firm is immune from the coming disruption and every company must have a strategy to harness the powerful advantages of the new fintech revolution.

The battle already underway will create surprising winners and stunned losers among some of the most powerful names in the financial world: The most contentious conflicts (and partnerships) will be between startups that are completely reengineering decades-old practices, traditional power players who are furiously trying to adapt with their own innovations, and total disruption of established technology & processes:

• Traditional Retail Banks vs. Online-Only Banks: Traditional retail banks provide a valuable service, but online-only banks can offer many of the same services with higher rates and lower fees

• Traditional Lenders vs. Peer-to-Peer Marketplaces: P2P lending marketplaces are growing much faster than traditional lenders—only time will tell if the banks strategy of creating their own small loan networks will be successful

• Traditional Asset Managers vs. Robo-Advisors: Robo-advisors like Betterment offer lower fees, lower minimums and solid returns to investors, but the much larger traditional asset managers are creating their own robo-products while providing the kind of handholding that high net worth clients are willing to pay handsomely for.

As you can see, this very fluid environment is creating winners and losers before your eyes…and it’s also creating the potential for new cost savings or growth opportunities for both you and your company.

After months of researching and reporting this important trend, Evan Bakker, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has put together an essential report on the fintech ecosystem that explains the new landscape, identifies the ripest areas for disruption, and highlights the some of the most exciting new companies. These new players have the potential to become the next Visa, Paypal or Charles Schwab because they have the potential to transform important areas of the financial services industry like:

• Retail banking

• Lending and Financing

• Payments and Transfers
• 
Wealth and Asset Management

• Markets and Exchanges

• Insurance

• Blockchain Transactions


If you work in any of these sectors, it’s important for you to understand how the fintech revolution will change your business and possibly even your career. And if you’re employed in any part of the digital economy, you’ll want to know how you can exploit these new technologies to make your employer more efficient, flexible and profitable.

Among the big picture insights you'll get from The Fintech Ecosystem Report: Measuring the effects of technology on the entire financial services industry:

• Why financial technology is so disruptive to financial services—it will soon change the nature of almost every financial activity, from banking to payments to wealth management.
• The basic conflict will be between old firms and new—startups are re-imagining financial services processes from top to bottom, while incumbent financial services firms are trying to keep up with new products of their own.
• Both sides face serious obstacles—traditional banks and financial services firms are investing heavily in innovation, but leveraging their investments is difficult with so much invested in legacy systems and profit centers.
• Meanwhile, startups are struggling to navigate a rapidly-changing regulatory landscape and must scale up quickly with limited resources.
• The blockchain is a wild card that could completely overhaul financial services. Both major banks and startups around the world are exploring the technology behind the blockchain, which stores and records Bitcoin transactions. This technology could lower the cost of many financial activities to near-zero and could wipe away many traditional banking activities completely.

This exclusive report also:

• Explains the main growth drivers of the exploding fintech ecosystem.
• Frames the challenges and opportunities faced by incumbents and startups.
• Breaks down global and regional fintech investments, including which regions are the most significant and which are poised for the highest growth.
• Reveals which two financial services are garnering the most investment, and are therefore likely to be transformed first and fastest by fintech
• Explains why blockchain technology is critically important to banks and startups, and assesses which players stand to gain the most from it.
• Explores the financial sectors facing disruption and breaks them down in terms of investments, vulnerabilities and growth opportunities.
• And much more.

The Fintech Ecosystem Report: Measuring the effects of technology on the entire financial services industry is how you get the full story on the fintech revolution.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide to the fintech revolution, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the fast-moving world of financial technology.

Join the conversation about this story »

Citing fears of a hack that may have resulted in an account compromise, Bitcoin Core members have revoked the commit access belonging to Bitcoin Core developer Gavin Andersen. Monday began with the collective dramatic explosion of news that Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright publicly claimed that he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin. He […]

The post Bitcoin Core Dev Gavin Anderson’s GitHub Commit Access Removed appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Scepticism has greeted claims by Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright's claim to be the mysterious creator of the digital currency.

Finance Insider is Business Insider's midday summary of the top stories of the past 24 hours.

Activist investor Bill Ackman says "of course" he regrets investing in Valeant.

"There's been a lot of brain damage in the last five weeks working with the board," he said in an interview with CNBC. 

Atlantic City just averted a massive disaster, and three banks just lost close to $100 million from the collapse of another megadeal.

Goldman Sachs is going down-market, and everyone is looking at Goldman's fixed income business when they should be looking at the equities unit. 

Morgan Stanley questioned the dominance of Bloomberg, and the response shows just how entrenched it is.

Business Insider is reporting from the Milken Institute conference. Economist Mohammed El-Erian painted a pretty depressing picture of the global economy on one panel early Monday. 

The same panel agreed that there's a word for people who don't know how to invest in emerging markets: "tourists." Check back here for more coverage through the rest of the day. 

Lastly, Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting took place over the weekend. Here's what you missed, and here is Myles Udland on what the meeting is really about. 

Here are the top Wall Street headlines at midday:

Craig Wright claims he created Bitcoin - The Australian IT executive who late last year was engulfed by rumors that he invented Bitcoin has claimed he really is behind the digital currency.

Forget millennials — these 2 groups are the real future of America's consumers - Everyone keeps talking about millennials and their shopping habits.

The biggest names in finance all want the government to do one thing, but it's not going to happen - It can be hard for people on Wall Street to agree on anything.

Tesla put a Model X in a giant plastic bubble to test Bioweapon Defense Mode - Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode is one of the company's most talked about, but least understood features. 

China is carrying $1 trillion in bad debt - The amount of debt being carried in the Chinese economy — mostly by state-owned "zombie" companies — is now so high that it could lead to a financial crisis.

Meet the billionaires of 740 Park Avenue, one of New York's historic 'Towers of Power' - On a quiet, tree-lined block on the Upper East Side, 740 Park Avenue rises up: a legendary address, at one time considered (and, perhaps, still) the most important residential building in New York City.

Join the conversation about this story »

Through a coordinated media event, the Australian computer scientist Craig Steven Wright today claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor...

The post Craig Wright's Latest Satoshi Claim Unleashes Media Storm; Bitcoin Community Remains Skeptical appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Derivatives marketplace CME Group and Crypto Facilities have unveiled two bitcoin benchmarks designed to give investors a new way to hedge.

The way we pay is changing dramatically. For example, people are beginning to use their smartphones for every kind of formal and informal transaction — to shop at stores, buy songs online, and even split their rent.

At the heart of these changes in how we pay are thousands of companies competing and collaborating to facilitate transactions.

To understand why the payments industry has faced so much disruption in such a short time, there's just one key thing to understand: Payments is about transferring information from one party to another, and nearly every stakeholder in the industry benefits when that process runs on digital rails.

But payments is also an extremely complex industry that few fully understand.

In BI Intelligence's 2016 Payments Ecosystem report, we make it simple, explaining how it works, who the key players are, and where it's headed.

In this latest edition of the report, BI Intelligence drills even further into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices.
• Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play.
• Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified.

In full, the report:

• Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond.
• Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers.
• Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step.
• Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more.
• Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> Learn More Now
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> Purchase & Download Now

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Our subscribers consider the INSIDER Newsletters a "daily must-read industry snapshot" and "the edge needed to succeed personally and professionally" — just to pick a few highlights from our recent customer survey.

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Wanxiang Blockchain Labs, a Shanghai-based nonprofit research institution which hosted the first Global Blockchain Summit in Shanghai, is to...

The post China Joins the Blockchain Race With ChinaLedger Alliance appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Gavin Andresen, chief scientist of the Bitcoin Foundation, said at a conference today that he believes Craig Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin. Andresen said that his accounts were not hacked before his endorsement of Wright as Satoshi, countering speculation from some in the Bitcoin community.

Read more...

Bitcoin price slammed down to 1-day chart support today after a series of lower lows since the April top. The bulls kept buying even at the corrective highs, but are losing courage as an annual support comes under threat… This analysis is provided by xbt.social with a 3-hour delay. Read the full analysis here. Not […]

The post Bitcoin Price Is Not Bitcoin Value appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Satoshi Nakamoto never lived, but now he’s really dead. He was 8 years old. Nakamoto was the pseudonym of the person who created Bitcoin, the digital currency that anyone in the world can use to make online financial transactions anonymously. Since 2008, when he published the “white paper” that outlined Bitcoin’s technology, Nakamoto’s identity has been the subject of widespread speculation. Until now.

Craig Wright, a computer scientist, inventor and academic said he launched the currency in 2009 with the help of others.

Determining the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto isn’t as simple as solving the paternity of a brilliant child, in which a DNA test would solve the issue quickly. Bitcoin, from its foundation, has never been so simple. Craig Steven Wright, a 45-year-old Australian inventor and computer scientist, now claims he, in fact, is Nakamoto after denying […]

The post Can Craig Steven Wright Prove He Is Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto? appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Technology powerhouse Microsoft and military-centric banking and financial services firm USAA are the two newest members to join the Chamber of Digital Commerce (CDC), a Washington-based blockchain policy advocacy group. Microsoft and USAA are joining the Chamber of Digital Commerce, a non-profit lobbying group based in Washington, DC working to help build the regulatory framework […]

The post Microsoft, Banking Provider USAA Join Blockchain Advocacy Group appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

A man who previously claimed to be the founder of Bitcoin provides fresh evidence. But cryptographers are calling it 'clever' Crypto 101, not proof.

Tech entrepreneur Craig Wright told the news organization that he is the man behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto

CoinDesk interviews Circle founders Jeremy Allaire and Sean Neville about their $76m blockchain payments company, its market strategy and its future.

In contrast to the Bitcoin blockchain, which can currently process roughly six or seven transactions per second, networks built to ChainOS can process up to tens of thousands of transactions a second.

Good morning!

The US Treasury Department put China, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and South Korea on a currency "Monitoring List," last Friday.

"China, Japan, Germany, and Korea are identified as a result of a material current account surplus combined with a significant bilateral trade surplus with the United States. Taiwan is identified as a result of its material current account surplus and its persistent, one-sided intervention in foreign exchange markets," the Treasury wrote in its semi-annual FX report to Congress.

And it "will closely monitor and assess the economic trends and foreign exchange policies of these economies."

Specifically, the Treasury noted that it's concerned about the rising imbalances with a number of its major trading partners, and how that could impact the global economy.

 As for the rest of the world, here's the scoreboard as of 8:10 a.m. ET:

• The Japanese yen hit its strongest level in 18-months, after surging by approximately 5% at the end of last week when the Bank of Japan unexpectedly did not boost stimulus. The yen strengthened by about 0.3% to 106.14 per dollar earlier in the day, but is now around 106.59 per dollar.
• The euro is stronger by 0.2% at 1.1482 after Eurozone PMI came in at 51.7, above expectations of 51.5. Readings from both France and Germany disappointed while Italy's beat.
• The Australian dollar is stronger by 0.5% at .7638 ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's Tuesday meeting. "RBA now has a dilemma. Economic growth doesn't argue for a rate cut next week. But the breadth of the price weakness in the Q1 CPI and signs that inflation expectations are shifting down suggest the period that inflation will undershoot the 2%-3% target could be more persistent than temporary," noted a Citi Research team led by Paul Brennan. "These considerations provide justification for a 25bp easing next week."
• The dollar index is weaker by 0.2% at 92.88. Notably, Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said the island's Government Development Bank would not make a $422 million payment due on Monday. Monday's default will put pressure on Congress to find a resolution for Puerto Rico, which owes "another $1.9 billion of debt on July 1, including about $777 million in general obligation debt backed by its constitution," according to Reuters.
• And, for what it's worth, Bitcoin is down 1.4% to 440.52 versus the dollar after Australian IT executive Craig Steven Wright claimed that he is the creator of the virtual currency.

SEE ALSO: 14 incredible facts about Texas

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NOW WATCH: Japan has built a massive ice wall around Fukushima

Plus: A drone ballet performed in front of Mt. Fuji

Doubts and questions surrounding Craig Wright’s claims of being the creator of Bitcoin have already been cast, following the Australian entrepreneur’s public reveal of being the inventor of the cryptocurrency. It was early December 2015 when reports from Wired and Gizmodo revealed that a then 44-year old Australian computer scientist, entrepreneur, and businessman was likely […]

The post Scepticism Lingers around Bitcoin Creator’s Unveling appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Academic Craig Wright went public today by declaring, and providing evidence to his claim, that he is bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

 The tech community is currently poring scorn on the news that Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has revealed himself to be Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. They say the story does not add up, given that his ‘proof’ could simply be an old signature signed by Satoshi and what was previously known about how the Bitcoin inventor operated in the past. Wright has previously been named… Read More

Here is what you need to know.

Puerto Rico will default on Monday. During a televised address, Puerto Rican governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said the island's Government Development Bank (GDB) won't make a $422 million payment due on Monday. The default was expected by the market as ZeroHedge noted on Sunday that the bonds were trading at around 20 cents on the dollar. Monday's default will put pressure on Congress to find a resolution for Puerto Rico, which owes "another $1.9 billion of debt on July 1, including about $777 million in general obligation debt backed by its constitution," according to Reuters.

Gold crossed $1300 per ounce. An early bid ran gold above the $1300 per ounce mark for the first time since January 2015. The yellow metal hit a high of $1302.20 per ounce before sliding back below the physchological hurdle. Currently, the precious metal is higher by 0.4% near $1299 per ounce. Silver's gains are more muted, up 0.1% at $17.87 per ounce.

A guy claiming to be the creator of Bitcoin has come forward, again. Australian IT executive Craig Wright claims that he is the inventor of Bitcoin. According to the BBC, Wright proved he is the creator of the digital currency by signing "messages using cryptographic keys created during the early days of Bitcoin’s development. The keys are inextricably linked to blocks of bitcoins known to have been created or “mined” by Satoshi Nakamoto." Wright has previously claimed to be the digital currency's creator. 

Baker Hughes and Halliburton are calling off their mega-merger. Opposition from both US and European regulators has caused the two energy giants to call off their $28 billion deal. The deal's cancellation means Halliburton must pay Baker Hughes a $3.5 billion termination fee by Wednesday. “While both companies expected the proposed merger to result in compelling benefits to shareholders, customers and other stakeholders, challenges in obtaining remaining regulatory approvals and general industry conditions that severely damaged deal economics led to the conclusion that termination is the best course of action,” Halliburton CEO Dave Lesar said in a statement.

Another oil name files for bankruptcy. Ultra Petroluem has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ultra is the latest energy company to fall victim to the crash in oil prices. In a court filing, the oil and gas producer listed both assets and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion. Reuters reports, consulting firm Deloitte says up to one-third of all oil producers could end up filing for bankruptcy this year if oil prices are unable to stage a meaningful rebound.

AIG sold a big portion of its stake in Chinese insurer PICC. AIG sold 740 million shares of China's PICC Property and Casualty, raising a total of HK$9.68 billion ($1.25 billion). The sale occurred at the lower end of the company's marketing range with most of the interest coming from institutional investors, reports Reuters, citing IFR. AIG had given a range of HK$13.06 to HK$13.35 per share, and the block deal went down at about $13.08 per share.

Berkshire Hathaway profit probably fell. A preliminary look at Berkshire Hathaway's Q1 results showed net profit likely fell 12% to $3.73 billion. According to Reuters, Berkshire cited weaker performance in its railroad and insurance business as reasons for the decline. The final results will be reported on May 6.

Global stock markets trade mixed. Japan's Nikkei (-3.1%) was hit hard overnight as markets in both China and Hong Kong were closed. Germany's DAX (+0.8%) leads the advance in Europe. S&P 500 futures are higher by 2.25 points at 2061.25 per dollar.

Earnings reports continue to flow. Sysco highlights the names reporting ahead of the opening bell. AIG, Anadarko Petroleum, General Growth Properties, and Tenet Healthcare are among the companies releasing their quarterly results after markets close.

US economic data is light. ISM Index and construction spending will be released at 10 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 2 basis points at 1.81%.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: The single largest threat to the global economy

Craig Wright claims to offer proof he's the real Satoshi Nakamoto. But the evidence provided is unconvincing, say Bitcoin experts.

Months after reports identified him as Satoshi Nakamoto, Craig Wright has released new evidence in a bid to prove that he is the creator of bitcoin.

Craig Wright has published a blog post in which he claims to be the Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

Read more...

If reports are to be believed, the inventor of Bitcoin has been found. Sydney-based Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has stepped out into the limelight to publicly identify himself as Bitcoin’s pseudonymous inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto. This breaking story is being updated.

The post Breaking: Bitcoin Creator Revealed as Craig Wright appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

The search for Bitcoin creator "Satoshi Nakamoto" appears to be over. Almost two years since Newsweek erroneously doxxed a 64-year-old Japanese-American man living in California, the man himself has come forward. So, who is he? According to a joint-i...

UK Only Article:  standard article Fly Title:  Bitcoin’s creator Main image:  20160430_blp539.jpg Rubric:  Evaluating his claim will involve a multi-step paternity test IMAGINE that the paternity of a particularly brilliant child is in doubt, and someone steps forward to claim he is the father. In the real world a DNA test would sort the matter out quickly. In the confusing world of bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, things are not that simple. From the start bitcoin has rested on a mystery: the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of the author of the academic “white paper” published in October 2008 which first outlined the technology behind the digital money. This mystery may finally be solved: Craig Steven Wright—a 45-year-old Australian computer scientist and inventor who was outed against his will and with dubious evidence as Mr Nakamoto in December last year—now claims he is the real Satoshi. On May 2nd he published a blog post offering what he says is cryptographic proof that he is indeed the creator of bitcoin. The Economist—along with the BBC and GQ ...

UK Only Article:  standard article Fly Title:  Bitcoin’s creator Main image:  20160430_blp538.jpg Rubric:  Mr Wright could well be Mr Nakamoto, but nagging questions remain FIVE months after Craig Steven Wright, an Australian computer scientist and businessman, was outed against his will as Satoshi Nakamoto, he says he is indeed the creator of bitcoin. On May 2nd he published a blog post offering cryptographic proof, backed up by other information, to make his case. Along with two other media organisations, The Economist had access to Mr Wright before the publication of his post. Our conclusion is that he could well be Mr Nakamoto, but that nagging questions remain. In fact, it may never be possible to prove beyond reasonable doubt who really created bitcoin. Whether people, particularly bitcoin cognoscenti, actually believe Mr Wright will depend greatly on what he does next, after going public. In December, after he was outed, Mr Wright stayed silent. So why has he now changed his mind? “I’m not seeking publicity, but want to set the record straight,” he explains. ...

Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has publicly identified himself as Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright publicly identifies himself as Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

Here’s the problem in a nutshell—or rather a thimbleful—facing the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.