BTC’s Sweet 16: Remembering The Day It All Began 🎂
OVERVIEW
BTC’s Sweet 16: Remembering The Day It All Began 🎂
Before we dive in, here’s today’s crypto market heatmap:
Source: Santiment
And here’s a look at crypto’s total and altcoin market cap YTD:
Source: TradingView
BITCOIN
Why Bitcoin Has More Than One Birthday 🎂
Depending on how long you’ve been in the crypto space, you’ve probably become aware that Bitcoin seems to have a number of ‘birthdays’ or special days throughout the year. 🗓️
Bitcoin’s Many “Birthdays”
-
August 18, 2008: Someone registers bitcoin.org, laying the first stone for Bitcoin’s public presence.
-
October 31, 2008: The Bitcoin whitepaper drops. It’s the big reveal of Satoshi Nakamoto’s idea for a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.
-
January 3, 2009: The Genesis Block is mined. That’s when the network officially lights up, and people start talking about “Bitcoin’s blockchain birthday.”
-
January 12, 2009: Satoshi sends 10 BTC to Hal Finney. First real transaction in Bitcoin history.
-
May 22, 2010: The infamous “Bitcoin Pizza Day.” It’s the first time Bitcoin pays for real-world goods—10,000 BTC for two pizzas.
Which Date Do You Celebrate?
Each date marks a different point in Bitcoin’s evolution. August 18, 2008 is about the domain name and initial spark. October 31 is when the idea took shape on paper. January 3 shows the moment the blockchain came to life. January 12 marks genuine usage. And May 22 proves it could buy more than just bragging rights.
Let’s toast them all. 🍷
NEWS IN THREE SENTENCES
Crypto News 📰
💰 Crypto VC Rides the 2024 Wave: 26% YoY Growth and a $1.1B Mega-Acquisition
Despite volatile market swings, crypto venture capital soared 26.1% this year, hitting $9.33B in disclosed funding. DeFi led the pack (24.4% of projects), with NFT/GameFi close behind and RWA/DePIN also making waves. Stripe’s colossal $1.1B buyout of Bridge took the crown as 2024’s largest crypto deal, overshadowing the likes of Iris Energy ($413.4M) and Avalanche ($250M), proving that big checks still flow when the right ideas surface. CryptoSlate.
🏦 Morgan Stanley’s E-Trade Eyes Bitcoin, Teases a Trump-Era Regulatory Tailwind
E-Trade, Morgan Stanley’s retail brokerage with 5.5M accounts and $360B in assets, is angling to offer Bitcoin spot trading—pending the Fed’s blessing. The timing’s no coincidence: Trump’s new administration is rumored to be more crypto-friendly, opening doors for mainstream brokerages. If E-Trade goes all-in, they’ll join BlackRock and Fidelity in bringing Bitcoin to the financial big leagues, intensifying the race to woo next-wave crypto investors. TheDefiant.
🚀 Polymarket Bets 85% on a Solana ETF in 2025
Solana fans rejoice: Polymarket’s up from a 3% chance months ago to an 85% probability that an SEC-approved Solana ETF drops in 2025. The platform also hints at a better-than-50% shot it hits by July 31—despite the SEC’s past hostility and Gensler’s departure set for January 20. With Grayscale’s SOL ETF in the front row, and a friendlier SEC Chair inbound, 2025 might be the year Solana sneaks an ETF across the finish line. BeInCrypto.
📉 BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF Sees $331M One-Day Outflow
BlackRock’s IBIT fund bled $330.8M in BTC on Jan. 2—the biggest daily outflow since its launch. Though it’s a third straight day of withdrawals, it may be just a blip considering IBIT snagged $37.2B in 2024 inflows, placing it among the top three ETF magnets. Cointelegraph.
💱 Can the US Dump Its Gold for BTC? Economist Raises Eyebrows
Recent proposals from Trump and Senator Lummis toy with the idea of pivoting billions of dollars in seized Bitcoin — or even U.S. gold reserves — into a massive national BTC stash. Critics like economist George Selgin warn that revaluing gold to print money (to buy crypto) would merely shift liabilities to the Fed, and any debt-reduction angle would be about as likely as the government selling its gold holdings. Bottom line: While it’s a fun headline, don’t hold your breath waiting for the feds to flip some of the 8,134 tonness of gold into Bitcoin. BitcoinSistemi.
STOCKTWITS COMMUNITY INSIGHTS
Share Your Top Trade Ideas For 2025! 🧠
Hundreds of Stocktwits users have shared their best ideas as we gather the community’s views and give out Stocktwits Edge to some of our favorites! While many fan favorites have been mentioned, dozens of under-followed ideas are being discussed. So come check’em out and share your top picks!
Source: Stocktwits.com
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
Bullish Breakout Still Developing, Not Confirmed 🧠
A resumption of the expansion phase that has been on pause since December 2024 is showing increasing signs of resuming that prior trend. ⌛️
If you recall, we looked at this on Tuesday (December 31, 2024):
December 31, 2024, Total Market Cap Daily Chart – Click to enlarge.
This is what was written in the Tuesday Litepaper regarding the chart above:
Total Market Cap Daily Chart – Click to enlarge.
Fast forward to today, all of those conditions, save one, are confirmed. If today’s candlestick closes above $3.34T, then all conditions will be fulfilled. Until then: the painful experience of waiting and anticipation. 😴
NEWS IN THREE SENTENCES
Metaverse, NFT, & Gaming News 🎮️
🪶 BIRDS on Sui: Gamified Telegram Mini-App Takes Flight
Telegram-based game BIRDS has roped in millions of players since July, thanks to its frictionless NFT-driven fun on Sui. Players hatch birds, earn tokens through daily tasks, and eventually dive into DeFi gamification—all while using Sui’s kiosk, wallet, and object-centric tech to hide complexity. Sui blog.
✈️ Travala.com Hits $10.6M in December Revenue, 84% YoY Growth
Travala wrapped 2024 with over $10.6M in monthly gross revenue, a near 85% spike year-over-year—driven by 14k room nights booked, 7k flights, and a whopping 78% of bookings paid in crypto (hello, USDT, BTC, and SOL!). The platform dished out $80K+ in AVA rewards, plus BTC and Travel Credits incentives, fueling 42k Smart members who’ve locked 8.9M AVA tokens. Travala blog.
PRESENTED BY STOCKTWITS
Daily Rip Live: Guest Host Michael Nauss, CMT 🧑🏫
Michael Nauss, CMT of Stats Edge Trading shares his technical views on the market, covering Bitcoin’s consolidation near $90,000, Tesla’s resilience, quantum computing and AI disruption, and the surge in uranium stocks. Plus, small-caps, semiconductors, psychedelics, and other trends shaping 2025.
NEWS IN THREE SENTENCES
DeFi, DEX, and Lending Protocol News 🏦
⚖️ Tether’s Legal Overhaul: Hoegner Out, Uncertainty In
Tether’s longtime general counsel Stuart Hoegner is bowing out, handing the reins to Michael Hilliard at a moment when Europe’s new MiCA regs complicate USDT’s status. Meanwhile, Tether’s market cap dipped from $138.8B to $136.9B after New Year’s, but USDT still rules 65%+ of the stablecoin market—just watch for more regulatory tremors ahead. Cointelegraph.
🤖 Fetch.ai 2024: AI Hackathons, ASI Token Merger, and a Global Lab Boom
Fetch.ai doubled down on decentralized AI, chalking up 24M+ mainnet transactions, 130k active wallets, and massive new collaborations (like Deutsche Telekom MMS, Ankr, and C4E). The year saw a token merger with SingularityNET and Ocean Protocol under the ASI Alliance banner, supercharging the AI + Web3 synergy. Fetch.ai blog.
🌐 ICX 2024 Recap: Balanced Enshrined, GMP Unleashed, and Intents-based Swaps
ICX locked arms with Balanced, making its DeFi platform a protocol-level powerhouse that burns ICX fees while fueling cross-chain liquidity. Network Owned Liquidity became the bedrock for deeper Balanced pools, while a new economic policy realigned the entire chain around capital efficiency—leading to 10+ new chain integrations, a souped-up Hana wallet, and Intents-based trading. Icon blog.
LINKS
Links That Don’t Suck 🔗
💥 Shazam!’ star Zachary Levi compares AI to biblical disaster
🐻 2 men were found dead from exposure after looking for Sasquatch
🤯 Crypto.com introduces stock and ETF trading for U.S. users with 3% bonus
🏃♀️ Marathon Digital’s CEO recommends monthly Bitcoin investments for long-term gain
⭐️ Trump, Atkins, and a new SEC – how 2025 could be a defining year for Bitcoin and crypto
Get In Touch 📬
Follow our social channels for great, real-time content on Stocktwits and Twitter. And check out our YouTube channel for in-depth video content! 📲
Email me (Jonathan Morgan) your feedback; I’d love to hear from you. 📧
Want to sponsor this newsletter and reach hundreds of thousands of crypto enthusiasts? Reach us here. 👍
Terms & Conditions 📝
Securities Disclaimer: STOCKTWITS IS NOT A TAX ADVISOR, BROKER, FINANCIAL ADVISOR OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. THE SERVICE IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TAX, LEGAL, FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVICE, AND NOTHING ON THE SERVICE SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS AN OFFER TO SELL, A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, OR A RECOMMENDATION FOR ANY SECURITY. Trading in such securities can result in immediate and substantial losses of the capital invested. You should only invest risk capital, and not capital required for other purposes. You alone are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, security or strategy, or any other product or service, is appropriate or suitable for you based on your investment objectives and personal and financial situation. You should also consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation. The Content is to be used for informational and entertainment purposes only and the Service does not provide investment advice for any individual. Stocktwits, its affiliates and partners specifically disclaim any and all liability or loss arising out of any action taken in reliance on Content, including but not limited to market value or other loss on the sale or purchase of any company, property, product, service, security, instrument, or any other matter. You understand that an investment in any security is subject to a number of risks, and that discussions of any security published on the Service will not contain a list or description of relevant risk factors. In addition, please note that some of the stocks about which Content is published on the Service have a low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float. Such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information. Read the full terms & conditions here. 🔍
Author Disclosure: The author of this newsletter holds positions in ADA, LTC, IMX, WMT, COPI, MIN, AGIX, ALGO, DOGE, ZEC, AVAX, XLM, XTZ, and NEAR. 📋
