BizwavemediaPersonal Finance and Crypto Updates

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The Bank of England (BoE) has decided to maintain interest rates at 4.75% amid reaccelerating inflation in the UK, according to the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee’s meeting released on Thursday. The decision to keep rates unchanged was made by a 6-3 vote, with three members advocating a 25-basis-point reduction.

UK inflation edged higher in November 2024, according to data released today by the Office for National Statistics. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 2.6% in November, up from 2.3% in October, marking the second consecutive monthly increase above the central bank’s 2% target.

The Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH), the UK’s preferred measure of inflation, climbed to 3.5% in November from 3.2% in October.

Prices for goods and services in the UK are rising faster than they were in October. This increase is driven by factors like higher transportation costs and rising housing costs. While the overall inflation rate is increasing, the rate of increase has slowed down compared to previous months.

Even though recent inflation figures are not beyond market expectations, and some inflationary pressures may indeed be easing, persistent inflation in the service sector remains a key concern for the central bank.

The services sector, which accounts for around 80% of the UK economy, has shown stubbornly high inflation rates, prompting the central bank to maintain a cautious approach.

Economists had already ruled out any possibility of a rate cut from the current 4.75% as soon as UK inflation data was out, as the BoE aims to maintain its target inflation rate of 2%, Morningstar reported.

The BoE’s decision comes after the US Fed lowered interest rates by 25 basis points, matching market expectations. The Bank of Japan on Thursday also maintained its current interest rate.

While the US central bank’s decision was consistent with forecasts, the Fed’s message came surprisingly more hawkish.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled a slower pace of future cuts, given that inflation remains above its 2% target. The number of interest rate cuts in 2025 may be limited to two, instead of four, with a close eye on economic conditions.

Global markets took a hit following the Fed’s hawkish signals.

US stocks experienced their largest daily decline in months, with major indexes posting substantial losses. European stocks also tumbled, reflecting a broader sell-off in response to the Fed’s stance.

Risk-sensitive assets, including crypto assets like Bitcoin, faced downward pressure as market sentiment shifted towards caution. Bitcoin’s price declined approximately 6%, trading below the $100,000 mark on Wednesday evening before recovering above $102,000 at press time, per TradingView.

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Leveraged liquidations across crypto assets surged to $1 billion following a brutal sell-off that sent Bitcoin tumbling below $96,000 on Thursday, according to Coinglass data.

Long positions accounted for the vast majority of losses at approximately $878 million, compared to $160 million for short positions.

Bitcoin rebounded above $97,000 at press time but remains below its daily peak of $102,000, CoinGecko data shows.

It was not just Bitcoin; most crypto assets also declined in value. The total crypto market cap dipped 9.5% to $3.4 trillion at the time of reporting.

Ether lost 8%, Ripple shed 5%, and Solana and Dogecoin experienced even sharper double-digit losses over the past 24 hours. Smaller-cap assets were particularly hit hard, with only Movement (MOVE) paring its losses.

Fed’s hawkish stance

Markets likely reacted in turmoil to the Fed’s unexpectedly hawkish messages following the rate cut decision. The Fed on Wednesday delivered a 25-basis-point rate reduction, but signaled fewer cuts in 2025.

Uncertainties in the economy, particularly with the incoming administration, prompted the central bank to adopt a more cautious stance. Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated that it’s prudent to “slow down” when the economic outlook is unclear.

Inflation has cooled from its peak of around 9% in June 2022, but it’s still stubbornly above the Fed’s target. Lowering interest rates can stimulate economic growth by making borrowing cheaper, but it can also contribute to higher inflation.

There are worries on Wall Street that Trump’s proposed economic policies, including tariffs, could exacerbate inflation, though they may boost economic growth in the short term.

Bitcoin ETF performance

Elsewhere in the Bitcoin ETF market, emerging indicators suggest a potential shift in sentiment.

Although US spot Bitcoin ETFs have maintained a 14-day positive inflow streak, recent net inflows have been disproportionately concentrated within BlackRock’s IBIT. Other ETFs have reported either zero net flows or net outflows.

Data shows that Grayscale’s low-cost Bitcoin ETF shed around $188 million on Thursday, its record low since launch, while Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust saw approximately $88 million in net outflows.

Further data released later today will provide a more comprehensive assessment of ETF performance.

Healthy correction?

Despite the sell-off, Bitcoin has gained approximately 130% this year. MicroStrategy, which owns nearly 2% of Bitcoin’s supply, continues its acquisition strategy. The firm has purchased $3 billion worth of Bitcoin so far this month.

Many crypto traders see the recent pullback as a healthy correction.

“It’s the same story every time, and it never changes. Markets aren’t designed for the majority to win. Corrections are a natural part of bull markets,” popular analyst ‘Titan of Crypto’ stated.

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index, which measures the emotional state of the crypto market, currently sits at 75, indicating a sentiment of greed among crypto investors despite recent market volatility and price corrections.

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US spot Bitcoin ETFs suffered their largest-ever single-day outflow amid a sharp crypto market sell-off following the FOMC meeting. According to Farside Investors data, approximately $672 million exited these funds on Thursday, ending a period of net inflows that began in late November.

The massive withdrawal eclipsed the previous record of nearly $564 million set on May 1, when the group of spot Bitcoin ETFs saw nearly $564 million in withdrawals after Bitcoin dropped 10% to $60,000 over a week.

Fidelity’s Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) led the exodus with $208.5 million in outflows, while Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) recorded its lowest point since launch with over $188 million in net outflows.

ARK Invest’s Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) and Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) also saw huge withdrawals, with ARKB losing $108 million and GBTC shedding nearly $88 million. Meanwhile, three competing ETFs managed by Bitwise, Invesco, and Valkyrie collectively lost $80 million.

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which logged $1.9 billion in net inflows this week and was a major contributor to the group’s recent strong performance, recorded zero flows for the day.

WisdomTree’s Bitcoin Fund (BTCW) was the sole gainer, attracting $2 million in new investments.

Bitcoin’s price fell below $96,000 during the market downturn and currently trades at around $97,000, down 4% over 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data. The steep decline across all assets triggered $1 billion in leveraged liquidations on Thursday, Crypto Briefing reported.

The market turbulence followed the Fed’s hawkish messaging after its rate cut decision. The Fed implemented a 25-basis-point rate reduction on Wednesday but indicated fewer cuts in 2025.

Although price volatility persists, the Crypto Fear and Greed Index still indicates greed sentiment at 74, down only one point from yesterday.

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Hyperliquid’s native token HYPE surpassed a $10 billion market capitalization, with its price exceeding $30 per token.

This milestone comes amid broader market volatility following Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish speech on Wednesday.

While Bitcoin fell from its all-time high of $108,000 to $92,000 yesterday—a nearly 15% decline—and many altcoins experienced drops exceeding 25%, the market has since shown some recovery, with Bitcoin trading around $97,000.

In the same period, HYPE token also saw some losses but has now surged over 20% in the past 24 hours, entering the top 25 coins by market cap.

Hyperliquid is on the verge of entering the top 20 coins by market cap, currently just below Polkadot, which has a market cap of $10.5 billion.

At press time, Hyperliquid stands at $10.2 billion and could potentially flip Polkadot in the coming days.

The token’s rise follows one of the most anticipated token airdrops of the year, with the platform distributing 310 million tokens to Hyperliquid users, making it the largest airdrop in crypto history.

This distribution surpassed Uniswap’s UNI airdrop from September 2020, which had previously held the title as the biggest airdrop, peaking at $6.4 billion in value in May 2021.

Hyperliquid has recorded $13.7 billion in 24-hour trading volume and $561 billion in total volume, according to DefiLlama data.

One of the reasons for Hyperliquid’s success is its elimination of gas fees for transactions.

Additionally, the platform maintains low fees on perpetual contracts and opening trades, which are reinvested into the ecosystem through token buybacks or by supporting ecosystem vaults.

This model, combined with its ease of use and rapid interface, has earned Hyperliquid the nickname “decentralized Binance.”

Building on this success, with its token now valued at $30, Hyperliquid has demonstrated its potential as a leader in the DeFi space.

Looking ahead, Hyperliquid is preparing to enhance its ecosystem further with the launch of its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) integration, HyperEVM, currently in its testnet phase.

This update will introduce Ethereum-compatible smart contracts, boosting cross-chain capabilities and expanding DeFi applications within the platform.

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A threat actor netted approximately $500,000 through a series of meme coin scams launched via more than 15 compromised X accounts, according to blockchain sleuth ZachXBT. The hacked accounts included Kick, Cursor, Alex Blania, The Arena, and Brett, among others.

1/3 A threat actor has stolen ~$500K over the past month by compromising 15+ X accounts (Kick, Cursor, Alex Blania, The Arena, Brett, etc) from sending targeted phishing emails which impersonated the X team to steal credentials and then launch meme coin scams. pic.twitter.com/HEWQdVICgJ

— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) December 24, 2024

The attacker gained access by sending targeted phishing emails disguised as X team communications to steal user credentials, ZachXBT noted.

The scheme involved sending fake copyright infringement notices to create urgency and deceive users into visiting phishing sites where they would reset their two-factor authentication (2FA) and passwords.

All account takeovers were connected through a single deployer address used for each scam. The attacker attempted to conceal the funding source by moving assets between the Solana and Ethereum networks.

ZachXBT advised users to avoid reusing email addresses across services and recommended using security keys for 2FA on important accounts.

Hacking social media accounts has become a prevalent strategy for cybercriminals looking to promote fake cryptocurrency projects or tokens. They often target well-known figures and brands to lend credibility to their deceptive schemes.

Earlier this month, the official X account of the Cardano Foundation was hacked, leading to the spread of false information about a nonexistent SEC lawsuit and the promotion of a scam token related to Solana.

The misinformation caused confusion within the Cardano community and negatively impacted the price of ADA, which dropped by 4% to $1.18.

In a separate case, rap star Drake’s official X account was hacked, promoting a fraudulent meme coin named ‘Anita.’

The adversary exploited his collaboration with gambling platform Stake to make false partnership claims, misleading his followers with fake token details and a project character. Both the misleading posts and the project’s X account were quickly removed and suspended.

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Bitget, one of the fastest-growing crypto exchanges, announced today a $5 billion burn of its native token, Bitget Token (BGB).

The proposal discussed in Bitget’s new white paper outlines the burn of 800 million BGB tokens, representing 40% of its total supply.

At press time, the value of the burned tokens has risen to over $6.4 billion, highlighting the growing demand for BGB.

The token burn, which has significantly reduced the circulating supply to 1.2 billion, is part of Bitget’s broader plan to enforce a deflationary model and boost the token’s utility

Starting in 2025, the crypto exchange will implement quarterly burns, using 20% of profits from exchange and wallet operations to buy back and destroy additional tokens.

BGB has surged over 100% in the past week and more than 400% in the past month, with the token trading at $8.10 at press time.

The token saw over $600 million in trading volume in the past 24 hours. Bitget’s daily trading volume exceeded $30 billion, with its user base expanding to 45 million.

“Our decision to burn $5 billion worth of BGB aligns with our plans of making it a powerful medium of transacting value,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget.

The exchange recently merged BGB with Bitget Wallet Token (BWB), combining its centralized and decentralized ecosystems under one token.

BGB, with an $11.6 billion market capitalization, provides holders with trading fee discounts, exclusive event access, and participation in Bitget’s Launchpool for token farming.

Bitget maintains a $600 million Protection Fund and publishes Proof-of-Reserve reports as part of its transparency initiatives.

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Scam Sniffer analysts have identified fraudulent Google ads impersonating Usual Protocol that redirect users to fake websites designed to steal crypto assets.

🚨 ALERT: Beware of scam ads on Google impersonating Usual Protocol.

These scam ads could steal your assets if you click them & connect wallet & sign transactions. pic.twitter.com/E8OE2oaheh

— Scam Sniffer | Web3 Anti-Scam (@realScamSniffer) December 28, 2024

The malicious advertisements appear at the top of Google search results when users search for “Usual Protocol,” positioning themselves above the legitimate website. These ads closely mimic Usual Protocol’s branding and language to appear authentic. This placement potentially leads users to click through as many tend to click on the first few results they see.

Victims who click on these deceptive ads are directed to a fake website that attempts to gain access to their digital assets through two primary methods: requesting wallet connections from services like MetaMask or Trust Wallet, and prompting users to sign malicious transactions that transfer assets to scammers.

Scammers are increasingly leveraging Google’s advertising platform to create malicious ads that lead users to fake websites. They often bid on keywords related to popular wallets and platforms, creating ads that closely mimic legitimate services.

Once users click on these ads, they are redirected to phishing sites that appear authentic but are designed to harvest sensitive information like wallet passphrases.

Earlier this week, Scam Sniffer reported a similar scam targeting Pudgy Penguin users through malicious Google ads containing suspicious JavaScript code that detects crypto wallets.

🚨 URGENT SECURITY ALERT 🚨

1/6 A user reported being redirected to a fake @pudgypenguins website through a Singapore news portal. Our investigation revealed this is part of a larger malicious advertising campaign. pic.twitter.com/Izv3f87WrX

— Scam Sniffer | Web3 Anti-Scam (@realScamSniffer) December 25, 2024

When these scam ads identify a crypto wallet, users are redirected to counterfeit versions of legitimate platforms where scammers can harvest personal information or gain unauthorized access to funds through wallet connections.

Users are advised to always verify website addresses directly and never connect their crypto wallet to a site they are not 100% certain is legitimate.

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