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What’s behind the recent bitcoin rally price to $7,100? Michael Moro, CEO of Genesis Trading and Genesis Capital, thinks the market’s stable reaction to the SEC’s ETF rejections last week played a big role. Interviewed on CNBC, Moro noted that the selloff that has greeted SEC rejections in the past did not materialize. The important

The post Clear-Headed Response to Crypto ETF Rejections Drove Bitcoin Price to $7,100: Analyst appeared first on CCN

Bitcoin and crypto losses can be used to offset other types of capital gains for tax purposes and therefore save you money. This article addresses how to handle your losses and the important items that you need to keep in mind for your crypto taxes in the US. Losses on crypto and Bitcoin trades offset

The post Op-ed: How to Turn Your Bitcoin and Crypto Losses into Tax Savings appeared first on CCN

• McDonald's has been aggressively updating its US stores under its Experience of the Future initiative. 
• McDonald's now has 5,000 Experience of the Future restaurants in US and will add 4,000 more by this year.
• The fast-food chain is taking short term pain for long term gain, Jefferies analysts said.
• Watch McDonald's trade in real-time here.

McDonald's is taking short term pain for long term gain when remodeling its fast-food experience, says a team of analysts from Jefferies.

The fast-food giant has been aggressively updating its US stores under its Experience of the Future initiative, which focuses on restaurant modernization and digital engagement. On the company's second-quarter earnings call, CEO Steve Easterbrook said there are now 5,000 EOTF restaurants. 

"The Company expects capital expenditures for 2018 to be approximately $2.4 billion," McDonald's said in a July 26 press release.

"About $1.5 billion will be dedicated to our U.S. business, primarily focused on accelerating the pace of EOTF. We expect to complete EOTF at nearly 4,000 additional U.S. restaurants in 2018, and, as a result, about half of the total U.S. restaurants will have EOTF by the end of 2018." 

Jefferies thinks McDonald's efforts on service model, digital channels, and loyalty initiatives are paying off, suggesting the use of the mobile app for some dollar deals helps drive downloads and Mcdonald's $1/2/3 platform still gains traffic in a very competitive environment. That will reaccelerate the company's US same store sales into fiscal year 2019, they said. 

The team has a "buy" rating on McDonald's, with a $190 price target — 18% above where shares are currently trading. 

SEE ALSO: MORGAN STANLEY: Amazon and Walmart are duking it out in a $4 trillion market

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NOW WATCH: An early bitcoin investor explains what most people get wrong about the cryptocurrency

Despite multiple attempts at breaking the standoff through a compromise, the war over “Satoshi’s original ‘original vision’” continues to intensify within the Bitcoin Cash technical community, as the fourth-largest cryptocurrency hurtles toward a potential blockchain split in November. nChain Releases Alpha Version of SV Client The latest move in this $9 billion chess game comes

The post Craig Wright Releases ‘Satoshi Vision’ Bitcoin Cash Client, Launches Mining Pool appeared first on CCN

I’ve been waiting a while before writing this one, as I wanted to capture the essence of why so many people confuse blockchain with distributed ledger technology. My goal, today, is not to call-out “crypto-experts” for propagating (pun intended) misinformation, but to explain to every single one of you why understanding the proper definition of

The post Opinion: Bitcoin, not the Blockchain appeared first on CCN

In the past hour, the Bitcoin price has surged from $7,030 to $7,200, bringing the entire market with it to the upside. Bitcoin Cash, NEO, Litecoin, ICON, EOS, VeChain, Tron, Qtum, Cardano, and most major tokens have recorded 5 to 15 percent gains in the past 30 minutes, showing the establishment of newly found momentum.

The post Bitcoin Price Just Surged to $7,200 Within 1 Hour, Strong Short-Term Rally Next? appeared first on CCN

In the past hour, the Bitcoin price has surged from $7,030 to $7,200, bringing the entire market with it to the upside. Bitcoin Cash, NEO, Litecoin, ICON, EOS, VeChain, Tron, Qtum, Cardano, and most major tokens have recorded 5 to 15 percent gains in the past 30 minutes, showing the establishment of newly found momentum.

The post Bitcoin Price Just Surged to $7,200 Within 1 Hour, Strong Short-Term Rally Next? appeared first on CCN

A new Eminem song, “Not Alike,” available on Spotify, observes that “Everybody doing bitcoin” in a string of phrases describing contemporary life. The song, which predictably makes extensive use of profanity and references to violence, is one of the numerous references to cryptocurrency in modern culture. Eminem is not the first rapper to reference bitcoin. … Continued

The post Eminem Raps About Bitcoin As Popular Culture Embraces Cryptocurrency appeared first on CCN

• The middle seat is the worst seat on a plane. It's cramped and inconvenient.
• You can avoid the middle seat by booking your flight early or avoiding basic economy tickets.
• You also decrease the likelihood of getting a middle seat by carefully selecting the type of aircraft you fly.
• The Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 fly with six-seats per row with two middle seats per row. Aircraft like the Airbus A220 has only one middle seat per row while the Embraer E190-E2 has no middle seats. 

The middle seat — especially in coach — is one of the most dreaded and common scenarios in flying.

It's cramped, it's inconvenient, and it's often the only seat available on flights — particularly if you book at the last minute.

In the past, an easy way to ensure you get an aisle or window seat is to book your flight early.

However, airlines have figured out that their customers have an almost universal hatred for the middle seat.

Not only that, airlines have come to realize that many are actually willing to pay to avoid it.

For instance, most Basic Economy tickets allow passengers to select their seats only after checking in — at which point the window and aisle seats are likely to already be gone. (Note: Alaska Airlines does allow early seat selection for its basic economy fares.)

This means passengers will have to buy more expensive main cabin tickets in order to select seats at the time of booking.

On the other hand, Southwest — which doesn't assign seats — charges passengers as much as $50 for the privilege of boarding early.

Although it is impossible to completely rule out the possibility of ending up in the middle seat, there are several ways to avoid it without having to pony up extra dough.

First, in spite of the revenue generating fees airlines have come up with, booking early is still the best way to ensure you don't end up sandwiched in the middle. In addition to an increased likelihood of getting an aisle or window seats, booking early will also net you cheaper ticket prices.

According to a 2014 study by Expedia, the average price of tickets are its lowest 57 days ahead of the flight. A 2016 study, also conducted by Expedia, shows that those buying tickets more than three weeks in advance can expect to see savings of as much as 30%.

In fact, savings from cheaper tickets prices may allow you to "splurge" on the fees for aisle or window seats.

The right plane makes all the difference

Second, the plane used to operate the flight makes a big difference as well. These days, the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 along with their many derivatives dominate the short-to-medium-range market. Both aircraft are generally configured with six-abreast seating or six seats per row with two sections of three seats divided by a single aisle. This results in two middle seats per row.

However, there are ways to reduce the likelihood of ending up in the middle seat by taking flights using planes with fewer or no middle seats on board.

Instead of the 737 and A320, look for flights operated by Airbus A220 (Bombardier C Series), Sukhoi SuperJet 100, McDonnell Douglas MD80 series, MD90, and Boeing 717-200 jets. These aircraft feature five-abreast seating in a 3-2 configuration — meaning there is only one middle seat per row.

In the US, the McDonnell Douglas aircraft are mostly operated by Delta, American, and Allegiant. However, all three carriers are working to quickly replace their MD fleets with new 737 and A320-family planes. With that said, Delta and Hawaiian's Boeing 717-200s are expected to remain in service well into the next decade. 

The Bombardier C-Series entered service with SWISS in July 2016. Over the next few years, the Canadian jetliner will become a more common sight in airports around the world with Delta, JetBlue, Air Canada, Air Baltic, SWISS, and Korean Air as its most well-known operators. 

The Sukhoi Superjet is mainly operated by Russsian carriers. However, Mexico's Interjet does have around 20 in its fleet.

Another option is to take flights operated for the major airlines by regional carriers under names such as Delta Connection, United Express, and American Eagle. These flights are generally operated using regional jets or turboprop airliners.

Even though regional aircraft are smaller and more cramped, they are generally set up in a 2-2 configuration which means there are no middle seats. Here, look for aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ, the Q400 turboprop as well as the Embraer ERJ.

The Embraer E170 and E190 series is a good 'tweener option. Seating anywhere between 70 to 100 passengers, the E-Jet operates both as a regional airliner and with mainline carriers such as American, Air Canada, Polish LOT, and JetBlue. Like the smaller regional jets, the E-Jet is usually set up in a 2-2 configuration with no middle seats. Embraer recently launched the second generation E-Jet called the E2 so expect this to be an option for many years to come. 

Unfortunately for many flyers around the world, the narrow-body airliner fleet in Asia and Europe is a virtual duopoly split between the 737 and the A320-family. As a result, apart from encountering the odd C-Series, E-Jet or 717, passengers will have to fly on a regional jet to avoid six-abreast seating. 

Choosing a flight based on the airplane also works on long-haul international flights. These flights are commonly operated by wide-body, twin-aisle airliners such as the Boeing 777, 787, and Airbus A350 as well as the larger Boeing 747 jumbos and the Airbus A380 superjumbos.

These large jets are generally set up with nine or even 10-abreast seating in a 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 configuration with either three or four middle seats per row in coach.

For flyers looking to avoid middle seats on long-haul flights, there are several types of aircraft they should hone in on.

First, Boeing's venerable twin-engine 767 wide-body is still around and can commonly be found with a 2-3-2 configuration. That means there's only one middle seat per row in coach. It should be noted, however, that many of the 767s are pushing 20 years of age and like the MD80/90, airlines such as American, Delta, and United are in the process of replacing them with newer models. 

With the 767 on the way out, look for flights operated by the twin-engine Airbus A330 and its discontinued four-engined sibling, the A340. These airliners generally feature eight-abreast seating in a 2-4-2 configuration. As a result, the A330/A340 generally fly with only two middle seats per row in coach.

Fortunately, for flyers, the A330 one of the most popular wide-body airliners in the world with about 1,500 examples in operation and is still rolling off Airbus production lines. In fact, the company is currently selling a next-generation version called the A330neo.

SEE ALSO: Airlines are using these 5 planes to replace the Boeing 747 jumbo jet

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NOW WATCH: An early bitcoin investor explains what most people get wrong about the cryptocurrency

The charges on famous Thai actor Jiratpisit “Boom” Jaravijit and his sibling, Thanasit Jaravijit were heard earlier this week in court concerning an alleged bitcoin fraud worth nearly a billion baht (about $24 million), according to a local news outlet. The popular soap actor showed up at court well ahead of schedule but tried to avoid

The post Thai Actor Maintains Innocence with $24 Million Bitcoin Fraud appeared first on CCN

• US equities are outperforming non-US risk assets to a degree that hasn't been seen since the financial crisis, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. 
• The key question investors need to answer is whether this is a buying opportunity, implying that global growth would continue and help emerging markets rebound.
• The cross-asset investing team recommended some trades that would benefit from a recovery in risk assets and yet hedge against slower growth. 

US markets are headed in the opposite direction to the rest of the world. 

Last week, US stocks extended their recovery from the correction in February and powered to new highs. Strong second-quarter earnings were powerful enough to make this the longest-running bull market — a feat which was confirmed on Friday, August 23, when the S&P 500 closed above its January high of 2,872.87.   

However, emerging-market stocks and other risky assets are still stuck in a rut.

The S&P 500 has gained 8.6% this year, but the MSCI Emerging Markets index has slumped by almost the same magnitude (-8.7%).

The pain in emerging markets has not been limited to equities. Turkey's lira, which lost more than one-third of its value in August, is perhaps the poster child of a sell-off in EM currencies that's was partly triggered by higher US interest rates. And right on cue, the emerging-markets carry trade, in which investors borrowed in US dollars to invest in foreign places with higher interest rates, has also fallen sharply. 

"Non-US equities have underperformed the US by the most since the Global Financial Crisis and EM equities are back sub-11x earnings," said James Barty, the head of global cross-asset and emerging-market strategy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. 

Even though emerging markets are deep in the red, it's not the same for the rest of the world. The MSCI All-Country World Index, for example, has gained 2.2%, outpacing its emerging-market counterpart. 

This is one reason why Barty and his team at BofAML are not throwing in the towel on the global economy just yet. They referred to the current weakness in emerging markets as a "non-recession turning point," adding that similar episodes in the past have been followed by recovery after the initial weakness. 

Still, the pullback begs the question of whether it's an opportunity to buy non-US risk assets. 

"This is the big call investors have to make," Barty said. "Is it right to continue to anticipate strong global growth and therefore buy risk assets into this pullback? Or are we sufficiently close to the end of the cycle that they should be switching into more defensive assets and selling into any rally?"

The short answer is no. Barty observed that the output gap — between what OECD countries are producing and their potential — is still rising.

"Historically the peak in the cycle is somewhere between 1.5% and 3% positive, as it normally requires some inflation to get central banks to hit the brakes.," Barty said. 

This means there's scope for a rebound in emerging and other non-US markets, even though downside risks remain — notably from China, according to Barty. 

Accordingly, Barty's team has taken a trading approach that would benefit from a rebound in risk assets while hedging on the downside. These trades include:  

• Long US industrials relative to the S&P 500.
• Maintain puts on the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index and on AUD/JPY .
• Remain bearish on US rates, but move from a short position on the 7-year note to an option position in 6m5y swaps.  

SEE ALSO: 2 of the most successful stock pickers of 2018 say a trait shared by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos holds the key to their success

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NOW WATCH: An early bitcoin investor explains what most people get wrong about the cryptocurrency

In the past 24 hours, despite the negative predictions of many traders, bitcoin price has remained above the crucial $7,000 resistance level, allowing the crypto market to add $8 billion to its valuation. Dash, Verge, Monero, and EOS are the best performing cryptocurrencies of September 1, recording strong gains in the range of 7 to … Continued

The post Crypto Market Adds $8 Billion as Bitcoin Price Avoids Downtrend appeared first on CCN

A new version of Bitcoin Core is coming, including a new key language and more. CoinDesk assembles the earliest and most interesting details.

• Banks in the US routinely solicit identification documents from their customers as part of the institutions' due-diligence efforts, ensuring the banks are complying with federal law.
• But for people from certain countries, the prospect of revealing their country of origin is risky in an era where the Trump administration is cracking down on immigration offenses
• Some customers say their bank accounts were frozen after the institutions asked them to prove that they were in the US legally.

Some bank customers in the US say their financial institutions asked them to provide documentation to prove they are in the US legally. In at least one case, a customer said his bank froze his account after the bank rejected the identification he submitted, the Miami Herald reported.

The newspaper said Thursday that an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Miami was recently locked out of his Bank of America account after he submitted documentation to prove his legal residency in the US.

Saeed Moshfegh, who told the Herald he has been living in the US legally for seven years, said as part of an agreement with his bank, he was submitting the necessary residency documentation every six months. "I think it's onerous, but I'd been doing it," he told the Florida newspaper.

“This bank doesn’t know how the immigration system works, so they didn’t accept my document,” Moshfegh said.

Moshfegh’s case wasn’t unique. Dan Hernandez, a TV writer of Cuban decent living in California, told the Herald that his business account was suspended in December 2016 under the suspicion that he had illicit business ties with Cuba. His company is called Cuban Missile Inc..

Hernandez told the paper "Cuban Missile" was his childhood nickname.

“I started screaming that this was racist,” Hernandez told the Herald. “Like, did you go through every company that had ’Jewish bagels’ in its name, or how about calling someone with 'Korean BBQ' to see if they’re doing business with Kim Jong Un?”

Bank of America spokeswoman, Carla Molina, said the institution has not changed the way it collects customer information. Bank of America asks about country of citizenship “in order to comply with laws and regulatory requirements, including those related to the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act or enforced by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control,” Molina told HuffPost on Thursday.

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NOW WATCH: An early bitcoin investor explains what most people get wrong about the cryptocurrency

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Square made two announcements regarding product updates that could make its offerings more accessible and robust. 

• Square Reader is now compatible with newer iPhone models and computers. Square is introducing a Lightning connector that makes the Square Reader, its contactless chip and magstripe card reader that plugs into phones, compatible with the iPhone 7 and later models that no longer have a headphone jack. Before, merchants with newer iPhone models had to rely on adapters or Bluetooth-enabeld terminals. The upgraded device will cost $10. In addition, merchants using Square Reader can plug the 3.5mm connector — the standard model — into their computer's audio jack to support PC-based payments using Square's Virtual Terminal for desktop. 
• Square was also granted a patent for cryptocurrencies. Square was granted a patent for a payment network that could enable merchants to accept payments in any currency, including cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, according to CCN.  The service would allow a customer to pay using cryptocurrency and convert it into a local currency. For context, the firm initially filed for the patent in September 2017. While the firm hasn't announced that it's going to implement this feature into its terminals, the service could be popular among consumers, given the popularity of trading cryptocurrencies.

These upgrades can allow Square to onboard more merchants in two ways: 

• Increased compatibility will help streamline transactions. The updates to Reader could make Square's products more convenient and accessible to merchants. That's especially true following Square's recent update that speeds processing time for chip card transactions to just 2 seconds. More efficient devices that connect more simply can help the firm continue to effectively cater to micromerchants, its original target base, while still attracting larger sellers through other offerings. This could grow the firm's overall pool, and increase volume. 
• Enabling crypto acceptance will make Square stand out from competitors. At a time when a number of processors and POS providers have ended cryptocurrency acceptance, enabling it for payments could set Square apart, especially if consumer demand rises as more customers purchase and hold cryptocurrencies. Cryptos are already benefiting the firm — adding a Bitcoin trading feature to Square Cash, its peer-to-peer (P2P) payment platform, likely contributed to the app's recent acceleration in downloads — and they can continue to do so if those users opt to spend their cryptos at Square merchants. This could help the firm attract more merchants with wider customer bases.

Onboarding more merchants can allow Square to accelerate growth and increase its payment volume. Providing added convenience and value-added features on its platform can help Square cater to more merchants, and help those merchants grab more volume.

That can reinvigorate growth of the firm's gross payment volume (GPV), which has been growing at a flat rate sequentially for the previous few quarters and recently decelerated annually — its 30% annual growth rate in Q2 2018 marked a slight deceleration from the 32% annual growth seen in the previous year. 

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This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.