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Pricing News

German Authorities Sold $14 Million in Seized Cryptos Over Price Fears

May 29, 2018 at 10:00 | Wolfie Zhao

Prosecutors in Germany have made an emergency sale of cryptocurrencies seized in two investigations due to concerns over price volatility.

Bitcoin Price Faces Last Major Support Level Before $5K

May 29, 2018 at 09:00 | Omkar Godbole

Bitcoin is down again and looks set to test another key support level at $6,900, the technical charts indicate.

Bitcoin Bears In Charge But Indecision Could Spur Rally

May 28, 2018 at 10:25 | Omkar Godbole

While the odds are still stacked in favor of bitcoin's bears, marketplace exhaustion may have provided a chance for a brief rally.

IHS Markit Has A Plan to Tokenize A $1 Trillion Loan Market

May 28, 2018 at 04:00 | Ian Allison

IHS Markit is developing a blockchain-based system to handle cash payments in syndicated loans – and eventually, in a wider range of transactions.

Just One Top Crypto Bucked This Week's Market Downturn

May 25, 2018 at 15:15 | Omkar Godbole

Shadowing the losses in bitcoin, the top-25 cryptocurrencies have all fallen over the last seven days – all bar one, that is.

Bitcoin Faces Close Below Long-Term Support In First Since 2015

May 25, 2018 at 10:00 | Omkar Godbole

If bitcoin closes the week below the 50-week moving average it will increase the likelihood of a sell-off to $6,000

Revolut App Adds XRP, Bitcoin Cash to Crypto Options

May 24, 2018 at 14:35 | Daniel Palmer

Mobile banking app Revolut now lets users buy, sell and hold Ripple's XRP and bitcoin cash, in addition to bitcoin, litecoin and ether.

Bitcoin Faces Drop to $7K as Bull Defense Crumbles

May 24, 2018 at 09:30 | Omkar Godbole

Bitcoin looks set to test $7,000 in the next 24 hours, courtesy of a bear flag breakdown on the technical charts.

Coinbase Is Rebranding Its Crypto Exchange Service

May 23, 2018 at 20:26 | Nikhilesh De

Coinbase announced Wednesday it was rebranding its GDAX platform as Coinbase Pro. Additionally, the company has acquired Paradex, a relay platform.

Bitcoin Price Faces Bear Indicator Not Seen Since 2014

May 23, 2018 at 09:00 | Omkar Godbole

Following bitcoin's recent losses, a key long-term trend indicator is looking increasingly bearish.

Bitcoin price today

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Bitcoin Price & Charts

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a monetary system or form of digital currency that uses peer-to-peer technology and operates with no central authority such as a government or a central bank. Bitcoin is open source and public, and can be used by anyone. We also offer pricing charts for ethereum prices, litecoin prices, ripple prices, dash prices, bitcoin cash prices, monero prices, iota prices, and nem prices.

Bitcoin: A Brief History

In November 2008, a paper was posted on the internet titled: Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System (PDF). The paper was published under Satoshi Nakamoto. Even though the name Satoshi Nakamoto is used by the inventor or inventors of Bitcoin, the person or persons’ true identity(s) remains a mystery to this day.

Nakamoto is rumored to be a man living in Japan in his early 40s, although this has never been verified. Speculation about Nakamoto’s true identity has been widespread and sought out by computer science and cryptography experts.

An Australian programmer by the name of Craig Stephen Wright has claimed to be Nakamoto, although he has yet to offer any proof of this claim.

Nakamoto is said to own up to around one million bitcoins, valued at over $1 billion.

In January 2009, Nakamoto released the first Bitcoin software. This established the Bitcoin network and the first units of the digital cryptocurrency known as bitcoins.

It is believed that work on Bitcoin began in 2007, and eventually a website using the domain name Bitcoin.org was created to interface and improve with the help of developers. In mid-2010, Nakamoto handed over control of the source code repository and network alert key to Gavin Andresen, a computer science expert and graduate of Princeton University. At this time, Nakamoto’s involvement in the Bitcoin project came to an end.

The Basics of How Bitcoin Works

Fortunately, a new user of Bitcoin needn’t know and understand all of the technical details involved. A bitcoin wallet can be set up on a computer or mobile phone. The wallet will generate your first Bitcoin address, and more addresses can be set up as needed. You can give this Bitcoin address to friends or others who you want to send payments to or receive payments from. Bitcoin is similar to email in this regard, however, a Bitcoin address should only be used one time.

The entire Bitcoin network uses a block chain. This block chain is basically a shared public ledger that allows for bitcoin wallets to calculate their spendable balances and to verify any new transactions. The block chain uses cryptography to ensure the integrity and chronological order of transactions.

A transaction takes place when there is a transfer of value from one bitcoin wallet to another. These transactions are included in the block chain. A bitcoin wallet uses a secret piece of data that is referred to as a private key or seed. This private key or seed is used to sign transactions using Bitcoin and provides proof that the transaction came from the owner of the bitcoin wallet. This signature also makes the transaction unalterable once it has been issued. Transactions are broadcast to the network within a matter of minutes.

Transactions are confirmed through a process known as mining. The mining process ensures proper chronological order, safeguards the network’s neutrality, and allows various computers to agree on the state of the system.

In order for a transaction to be confirmed, it must be packed in a block that utilizes strict cryptographic rules to be verified by the network. The mining process also prevents individual control of the block chain as well as the modification of any blocks.

What Are Some of the Potential Benefits Of Using Bitcoin?

In a world with PayPal and numerous other quick payment methods, you may be wondering why some people elect to use Bitcoin. This digital currency has numerous potential advantages. Some of the potential benefits of Bitcoin include:

Simple mobile payments: With Bitcoin, there is no need to swipe a card, enter a pin or do anything else. To pay with Bitcoin, all you need to do is scan and pay. Receiving bitcoins is just as easy, and requires only the scanning of your mobile or even just the physical contact of two mobile phones (using a special radio technology).

Quick international payments: Using Bitcoin allows you to send or receive money instantly with no bank delays or special processing fees.

Choose your own fee schedule: With Bitcoin, you can choose wallet fees other than the standard default wallet fees. Paying a higher fee may allow for faster transaction confirmations. There is no charge to receive bitcoins.

Security: Bitcoin uses military-grade cryptography. If you take the required steps to protect your bitcoin wallet, the digital currency can provide a very secure means for sending and receiving money and can also help protect from different types of fraud commonly seen with other payment methods.

What Determines the Price of a Bitcoin?

A bitcoin is worth what the market says it is worth. This is to say that prices vary as a result of supply and demand. As demand for bitcoins rise, the price may rise as well. As demand declines, prices may also decline.

What Makes a Bitcoin Valuable?

A bitcoin is valued based on its use as a form of money. Unlike other forms of money like paper currency or metals, bitcoins derive their value from mathematics rather than physical properties.

Can Bitcoin Fail?

Throughout history there have been many currencies that have failed and eventually were no longer used. Although steps have been taken to try to prevent some of the problems associated with other types of currency, no currency is completely fail proof.

Buying Gold and Silver with Bitcoin

At JM Bullion, we proudly accept Bitcoin as a form of payment and offer a 4% discount on all Bitcoin purchases.

Using bitcoins to purchase physical gold, silver or other metals has some potential advantages as well as some potential drawbacks.

The primary advantage of using bitcoins to purchase gold, silver, or other metals, is convenience. Transactions may be performed at any time, and there is no need to physically visit the store or establishment. You can buy metals using bitcoins from the comfort of your own home any time of day or night.

Bitcoin does come with some potential disadvantages. The value of a unit of the digital currency can potentially fluctuate wildly, and this can leave an owner of bitcoins unsure of the value of their holdings.

Bitcoin also has an uncertain future. While the digital currency has become more and more popular, it remains unclear if it will hit critical mass and be widely accepted. As it stands now, most businesses do not accept bitcoins as payment. If the network were ever to be disbanded, the value of bitcoins could potentially be lost.

The Future of Bitcoin

It may be worth considering the fact that Bitcoin was introduced during the financial crises of 2008-2009. At that time, there was great concern that the sub-prime mortgage crises could potentially cause massive bank failures that would lead to other failures and a financial scenario the likes of which the world has not seen before. Could something like that happen again? The answer is yes.

Although steps have been taken in order to prevent another similar scenario from unfolding, there could potentially come another time when large banks and financial institutions find themselves teetering on the edge of insolvency.

Investors have also not forgotten issues like those seen in Greece in recent years. As that nation sat on the edge of insolvency, it was forced to implement capital controls and measures such as limiting ATM machine withdrawals. Imagine for a moment having your money tied up in a bank that you are unable to access. That’s a scary thought to say the least.

These past issues could potentially fuel additional demand for an alternative currency system like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin. As trust in global banks and financial institutions has dwindled, the move toward a cashless global economy system could pick up steam.

With its extreme convenience, ease of use, and openness, the Bitcoin network could potentially make major waves on the future of modern commerce. The lack of a central authority controlling the Bitcoin network may make it even more attractive to users and investors looking for transparency.

Comparing Investments in Bitcoin and Precious Metals

Some investors have jumped on the Bitcoin bandwagon in order to potentially profit from rising values. Such an investment could be considered highly speculative and while it may have the potential for profits, it also comes with the risk of loss.

The Bitcoin network could still be in its early stages, but it is unclear if it will ever reach the degree of popularity that some believe it will. Bitcoin has only be around for a few years now, and with a short history some potential investors and users may steer clear until the network has become more established in mainstream commerce.

Physical gold, silver and other metals, however, have been considered a reliable store of value and protector of wealth for thousands of years. These precious metals have been used as a medium of exchange and are considered by many to be the only “real money” still in use today.

Gold and silver may potentially retain their value or increase in value over time. This is in contrast to paper currencies which have a tendency to lose value over time. The metals may potentially provide a hedge against a number of economic and geopolitical issues including inflation, declining currency values, erosion of purchasing power and more.

Some investors may prefer these metals as they are a tangible asset with a long history as a reliable store of value.

Bitcoin FAQs

Where do you get bitcoins?

There are three ways to acquire bitcoins:

1. You can purchase bitcoins on a Bitcoin exchange.
2. You can exchange bitcoins with someone else
3. Earn bitcoins through competitive mining

How is a Bitcoin created?

New bitcoins are generated through a process called mining. Individuals are rewarded with bitcoins for processing transactions and securing the Bitcoin network.

How many bitcoins may be produced?

Bitcoins are produced at a declining and predictable pace. The number of bitcoins produced each year is halved until the maximum number of 21 million bitcoins has been produced.

Is volatility in the price of bitcoins a problem?

Price volatility can pose some challenges. Investors and potential users could avoid bitcoins if they feel prices are unstable. Bitcoin prices can and do fluctuate. If the Bitcoin network becomes more mainstream, however, and if bitcoins become more widely used and accepted, it is possible that much of the price volatility could dissipate.

Is the Bitcoin network secure?

Bitcoin has a strong track record of security but like any other electronic system it has vulnerabilities. It is critical to follow all instructions when it comes to security. You may want to view a bitcoin wallet like you would a regular wallet. You probably wouldn’t walk around with thousands of dollars in cash in your pocket wallet. It may be wise to avoid keeping large sums of money in bitcoins as well – only holding you what you need to make intended purchases.

Is Bitcoin completely anonymous?

No. The Bitcoin network is not completely anonymous and does not offer the same privacy as cash.

Who maintains control of the Bitcoin network?

No one. The Bitcoin network is controlled and maintained by all of the network’s users. Developers are constantly working to improve the software, but the software versions must follow the same rules and the network can only operate on a consensus basis.

What if you lose your bitcoins?

Bitcoins require unique private keys, and if those keys are lost, there really is no way to retrieve any lost bitcoins. Many modern wallet types, however, feature backup systems to allow you to create a new private key to restore a lost key on a new wallet.

Is Bitcoin real money?

Yes. Bitcoin is real money. Money is simply something that is generally accepted as a medium of exchange. Bitcoin is used by millions of people all over the world. It may be used to settle up a dinner bill with a friend or to simply buy a coffee at a local coffee shop. Bitcoins are units of the digital currency itself, while Bitcoin is the entire network and system.

What is a Bitcoin IRA?

A Bitcoin IRA is a self-directed IRA account in which you can purchase and hold bitcoins. A self-directed IRA differs from a traditional IRA in that it allows the holder to purchase asset classes outside of stocks or bonds. A self-directed account can be used to invest in managed futures, precious metals, real estate and even Bitcoin.

Bitcoin price today

BitGo Taps New Sales Exec During Crypto Custody Push

May 29, 2018 at 19:01 | Nikhilesh De

BitGo has announced it hired Bloomberg Tradebook head Josh Schwartz as its new vice president of sales.

British FX Firm Currencies Direct Pilots Ripple Tech

May 29, 2018 at 17:15 | Nikhilesh De

Foreign exchange brokerage Currencies Direct successfully completed several international transfers using Ripple's xRapid product.

Austrian Regulator Freezes Crypto Mining Firm Amid Investigation

May 29, 2018 at 16:15 | Nikhilesh De

The Austrian Financial Market Authority has suspended the operations of cryptocurrency mining firm INVIA GmbH for offering illegal investments.

Crypto Payroll Processor Bitwage Launches ICO Advisory Firm

May 29, 2018 at 13:00 | Nikhilesh De

Bitcoin payroll firm Bitwage has launched an advisory company aimed to make it easier for companies to launch token sales.

Korean National Assembly Makes Official Proposal to Lift ICO Ban

May 29, 2018 at 12:10 | Daniel Palmer

South Korea's legislative arm of government is pushing for the removal of the country's ban on domestic initial coin offerings.

EOS Forced to Patch 'Epic' Security Loopholes Ahead of Launch

May 29, 2018 at 11:01 | Wolfie Zhao

Blockchain platform EOS says serious vulnerabilities reported by an internet security firm just days before its mainnet launch have been fixed.

German Authorities Sold $14 Million in Seized Cryptos Over Price Fears

May 29, 2018 at 10:00 | Wolfie Zhao

Prosecutors in Germany have made an emergency sale of cryptocurrencies seized in two investigations due to concerns over price volatility.

Baidu's 'Wikipedia' Now Logs Revisions on a Blockchain

May 29, 2018 at 08:00 | Wolfie Zhao

Chinese search giant Baidu has turned to blockchain technology in order to make its online encyclopedia more traceable and transparent.

Universities to Build Blockchain DAO for Affordable Education

May 28, 2018 at 15:10 | Wolfie Zhao

A group of top-tier Chinese universities plans to build a distributed organization to make educational resources more accessible and affordable.

Blockchain Could 'Revolutionize' Retail and CPG Industries: Deloitte

A Deloitte report suggests the retail and consumer packaged goods sectors could see benefits from blockchain integration across a number of use cases.

Ridesharing App Founder Wants to Build a Blockchain 'Uber'

May 28, 2018 at 13:30 | Chuan Tian

Chen Weixing, founder of Chinese ride-hailing app Kuaidi Dache, is planning to build a blockchain-based application for ride-sharing.

Bank of Russia Official: Still Too Early to Gauge Blockchain's Potential

A senior official at Russia's central bank has said blockchain technology is immature but may have industrial-scale applications.

Amid Chaos, Our Decentralized Future Is Being Built

May 28, 2018 at 12:00 | Michael J Casey

Blockchain can upend – not just the business models of recent decades – but a millennia-old societal practice of deep significance to…

US Search Mobile Web

Welcome to the Yahoo Search forum! We’d love to hear your ideas on how to improve Yahoo Search.

The Yahoo product feedback forum now requires a valid Yahoo ID and password to participate.

You are now required to sign-in using your Yahoo email account in order to provide us with feedback and to submit votes and comments to existing ideas. If you do not have a Yahoo ID or the password to your Yahoo ID, please sign-up for a new account.

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Your search engine does not find any satisfactory results for searches. It is too weak. Also, the server of bing is often off

I created a yahoo/email account long ago but I lost access to it; can y'all delete all my yahoo/yahoo account except for my newest YaAccount

I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be 'secure' then it'll be 'unfair' gaming and I'll lose because of the insecurity can be a 'Excuse'. Hope y'all understand my explanation!

I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be… more

chithidio@Yahoo.com

i dont know what happened but i can not search anything.

Golf handicap tracker, why can't I get to it?

Why do I get redirected on pc and mobile device?

Rahyaftco@yahoo.com

RYAN RAHSAD BELL literally means

Question on a link

In the search for Anaïs Nin, one of the first few links shows a picture of a man. Why? Since Nin is a woman, I can’t figure out why. Can you show some reason for this? Who is he? If you click on the picture a group of pictures of Nin and no mention of that man. Is it an error?

Repair the Yahoo Search App.

Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.

I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.

I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and I signed in so he could try to fix the Yahoo Search App not working. He also used another phone, installed the app from the Google Play Store to see if the app would do any kind of search thru the app. The Yahoo Search App just wasn't working.

I also had At&t try to help me because I have UVERSE for my internet service. My internet was working perfectly. Their Technical Support team member checked the Yahoo Search App and it wouldn't work for him either.

We can go to www.yahoo.com and search for any topic or website. It's just the Yahoo Search App that won't allow anyone to do web searches at all.

I let Google know that the Yahoo Search App installed from their Google Play Store had completely stopped working on May 18, 2018.

I told them that Yahoo has made sure that their Yahoo members can't contact them about anything.

I noticed that right after I accepted the agreement that said Oath had joined with Verizon I started having the problem with the Yahoo Search App.
No matter what I search for or website thru the Yahoo Search App it says the following after I searched for
www.att.com.

WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE
This webpage at gttp://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geJGq8BbkrgALEMMITE5jylu=X3oDMTEzcTjdWsyBGNvbG8DYmyxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDTkFQUEMwxzEEc2VjA3NylRo=10/Ru=https%3a%2f%2fwww.att.att.com%2f/Rk=2/Es=plkGNRAB61_XKqFjTEN7J8cXA-
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED

I tried to search for things like www.homedepot.com. The same thing happened. It would say WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE. The only thing that changed were all the upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
Then it would again say
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED

This is the same thing that happened when Samsung and At&t tried to do any kind of searches thru the Yahoo Search App.

Yahoo needs to fix the problem with their app.

Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.

I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.

I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and… more

Bitcoin price today

The Bitcoin.com Composite Price Index

Unlike stocks, bitcoin markets never close. Bitcoin is traded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year in dozens of currency pairs at exchanges all over the world. Across the globe, people create buy and sell orders based on their individual valuations of bitcoin, leading to global, real-time price discovery.

While Bitcoin's price history is not without major bubbles, volatilty overall has been trending downward.

US Search Mobile Web

Welcome to the Yahoo Search forum! We’d love to hear your ideas on how to improve Yahoo Search.

The Yahoo product feedback forum now requires a valid Yahoo ID and password to participate.

You are now required to sign-in using your Yahoo email account in order to provide us with feedback and to submit votes and comments to existing ideas. If you do not have a Yahoo ID or the password to your Yahoo ID, please sign-up for a new account.

If you have a valid Yahoo ID and password, follow these steps if you would like to remove your posts, comments, votes, and/or profile from the Yahoo product feedback forum.

• Vote for an existing idea ( )
• or
• Post a new idea…

• Hot ideas
• Top ideas
• New ideas
• Category
• Status
• My feedback

Improve your services

Your search engine does not find any satisfactory results for searches. It is too weak. Also, the server of bing is often off

I created a yahoo/email account long ago but I lost access to it; can y'all delete all my yahoo/yahoo account except for my newest YaAccount

I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be 'secure' then it'll be 'unfair' gaming and I'll lose because of the insecurity can be a 'Excuse'. Hope y'all understand my explanation!

I want all my lost access yahoo account 'delete'; Requesting supporter for these old account deletion; 'except' my Newest yahoo account this Account don't delete! Because I don't want it interfering my online 'gamble' /games/business/data/ Activity , because the computer/security program might 'scure' my Information and detect theres other account; then secure online activities/ business securing from my suspicion because of my other account existing will make the security program be 'Suspicious' until I'm 'secure'; and if I'm gambling online 'Depositing' then I need those account 'delete' because the insecurity 'Suspicioun' will program the casino game 'Programs' securities' to be… more

chithidio@Yahoo.com

i dont know what happened but i can not search anything.

Golf handicap tracker, why can't I get to it?

Why do I get redirected on pc and mobile device?

Rahyaftco@yahoo.com

RYAN RAHSAD BELL literally means

Question on a link

In the search for Anaïs Nin, one of the first few links shows a picture of a man. Why? Since Nin is a woman, I can’t figure out why. Can you show some reason for this? Who is he? If you click on the picture a group of pictures of Nin and no mention of that man. Is it an error?

Repair the Yahoo Search App.

Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.

I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.

I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and I signed in so he could try to fix the Yahoo Search App not working. He also used another phone, installed the app from the Google Play Store to see if the app would do any kind of search thru the app. The Yahoo Search App just wasn't working.

I also had At&t try to help me because I have UVERSE for my internet service. My internet was working perfectly. Their Technical Support team member checked the Yahoo Search App and it wouldn't work for him either.

We can go to www.yahoo.com and search for any topic or website. It's just the Yahoo Search App that won't allow anyone to do web searches at all.

I let Google know that the Yahoo Search App installed from their Google Play Store had completely stopped working on May 18, 2018.

I told them that Yahoo has made sure that their Yahoo members can't contact them about anything.

I noticed that right after I accepted the agreement that said Oath had joined with Verizon I started having the problem with the Yahoo Search App.
No matter what I search for or website thru the Yahoo Search App it says the following after I searched for
www.att.com.

WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE
This webpage at gttp://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geJGq8BbkrgALEMMITE5jylu=X3oDMTEzcTjdWsyBGNvbG8DYmyxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDTkFQUEMwxzEEc2VjA3NylRo=10/Ru=https%3a%2f%2fwww.att.att.com%2f/Rk=2/Es=plkGNRAB61_XKqFjTEN7J8cXA-
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED

I tried to search for things like www.homedepot.com. The same thing happened. It would say WEBPAGE NOT AVAILABLE. The only thing that changed were all the upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
Then it would again say
could not be loaded because:
net::ERR_CLEARTEXT_NOT_PERMITTED

This is the same thing that happened when Samsung and At&t tried to do any kind of searches thru the Yahoo Search App.

Yahoo needs to fix the problem with their app.

Yahoo Search App from the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone stopped working on May 18, 2018.

I went to the Yahoo Troubleshooting page but the article that said to do a certain 8 steps to fix the problem with Yahoo Services not working and how to fix the problem. Of course they didn't work.

I contacted Samsung thru their Samsung Tutor app on my phone. I gave their Technican access to my phone to see if there was a problem with my phone that stopped the Yahoo Search App from working. He went to Yahoo and… more

10 Bitcoin Price Predictions and Key Catalysts for 2018

By David Zeiler , Associate Editor , Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler • January 24, 2018

Start the conversation

The latest Bitcoin price predictions for 2018 show little restraint, despite prices falling 50% from their all-time high set in mid-December.

Bitcoin bulls have issued predictions ranging from a relatively modest $24,000 to a stratospheric $250,000.

The current Bitcoin price is about $11,000, well off the Dec. 17 record high of $19,783, but above the recent low of $9,200.

That means the Bitcoin bulls foresee gains of anywhere from 118% to 2,170% from today's levels.

That's in line with what we've seen the last two years…

The Bitcoin price rose 1,325% in 2017, which came on the heels of increases of 123% in 2016, and 82% in 2015.

These Bitcoin price forecasts are all the more remarkable given the seemingly endless stream of bad news that has dogged the cryptocurrency in recent weeks.

Why the Bitcoin Price Will Shrug Off the Negative News

Bitcoin has suffered from moves by the Chinese government to further restrict Bitcoin trading (it shut down the domestic exchanges last September) and curb mining (about 70% of Bitcoin mining is done in China).

The price of Bitcoin has also taken a hit from rumors South Korea was considering a total ban. But this week, the government decided instead to ramp up regulations, putting a stop to the use of anonymous bank accounts to trade the cryptocurrency.

Back in the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a letter explaining in blunt language why it won't be approving a Bitcoin ETF (exchange-traded fund) any time soon.

But none of these developments truly threaten Bitcoin. Trading in China will likely move underground. The Chinese miners are already making plans to relocate to friendlier locales, such as Canada.

And the new South Korean regulations will serve to reign in excesses – a positive thing for Bitcoin in the long run.

The folks making those lofty Bitcoin price predictions realize the situation is not nearly as dire as the mainstream media would have you believe.

Bitcoin has survived the collapse of its biggest exchange (Mt. Gox, in 2014), the rise of more than 1,300 rival cryptocurrencies, and a civil war over scaling that resulted in the Bitcoin Cash hard fork.

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Remember, the Bitcoin price hit its all-time high just three months after China shut down its exchanges.

It will rebound.

What's more, the price of Bitcoin will have several new catalysts driving it in 2018, such as the Lightning Network. Lightning technology addresses Bitcoin's two biggest drawbacks right now – slow confirmation times and congestion on the network.

So these dramatic Bitcoin price predictions come as no surprise to me…

Worries Grow That the Price of Bitcoin Is Being Propped Up

A growing number of virtual currency investors are worried that the prices of Bitcoin and other digital tokens have been artificially propped up by a widely used exchange called Bitfinex, which has a checkered history of hacks and opaque business practices.

In December, Bitfinex was subpoenaed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a United States regulatory agency. The news, first reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday and confirmed by a source familiar with the subpoena but not allowed to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation, led to a sell-off in most virtual currencies.

The people behind Bitfinex issue a virtual currency called Tether. Unlike most digitals tokens, every Tether is supposed to be backed by traditional money — the United States dollar. New Tether tokens are issued when investors give them dollars. One dollar is worth one token.

Because of the credibility that comes with that tie to the dollar, Tether are often used to buy other virtual currencies like Bitcoin.

In recent months, however, many investors have been raising alarm bells about Tether. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new Tether were created; almost always when the prices of other virtual currencies were heading down. The Tether were used on the Bitfinex exchange to make big purchases of Bitcoin and other tokens, helping push their prices back up, according to multiple analyses of data from Bitfinex.

“This became more and more concerning, because every time the markets went down, you have seen the same thing happen,” said Joey Krug, the co-chief investment officer at Pantera Capital, which runs several virtual currency hedge funds. “It could mean that a lot of the rally over December and January might not have been real.”

Long before news of the subpoena, Bitfinex, which is believed to host more trading than any other Bitcoin exchange in the world, had gained a reputation for a lack of transparency and a confusing structure, with European executives, offices in Asia and registration in the Caribbean.

It is not yet clear what information the regulators are seeking. Technically, the Tether tokens are issued by a separate company (called Tether) that is owned and operated by the same people who run Bitfinex. The C.F.T.C. subpoenaed that company at the same time that it subpoenaed Bitfinex, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Bitfinex has not commented on the subpoena or recent reports about Tether, and company officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In the past, the exchange’s executives and spokesman have said that its customers are simply using Tether to buy virtual currencies as they might otherwise use United States dollars.

Bitfinex had contracted with an American firm, Friedman, to audit its records and prove that its operation of Tether is above board. But last week, Bitfinex said it was cutting ties with Friedman, after waiting months for it to finish the audit. That news generated more suspicion.

“It’s a signal to the market of what those who have scrutinized the situation already believe: There is a problem here,” said Jill Carlson, a former trader at Goldman Sachs who now consults with a variety of virtual currency companies. “The dissolution of a relationship between an auditor and a company is very rarely a good sign that the company is behaving in accordance with market best practices.”

The concern about Bitfinex is one of several issues that have helped depress the value of virtual currencies over the last month, after a roaring, yearlong rally. Regulators in several countries, like South Korea and the United States, have expressed concerns about manipulation and fraud, and hinted at a crackdown.

In Japan, a large virtual currency exchange, Coincheck, was hacked in late January and lost nearly $500 million worth of a virtual currency known as NEM, raising questions about the relatively untested security practices of virtual currency exchanges.

Still, Japan is one of the few places where virtual currency exchanges are overseen by regulators. Many of the largest virtual currency exchanges, including Bitfinex, operate with essentially no regulatory oversight.

Bitfinex was hacked in 2015 and again in 2016, and Tether was hacked at the end of last year — with the combined losses totaling more than $100 million.

The company shared few details about these hacks. But after the biggest theft, in 2016, it was cut off by Wells Fargo and its banks in Taiwan.

The banking problems have made it hard for customers to get money in and out of Bitfinex, but traders have continued to use the exchange, in part because of Tether.

Tether offered a preliminary report last year from Friedman, the accounting firm, suggesting that it had bank accounts with dollars corresponding to all the Tether that had been issued. But the report was far from conclusive and Tether has never produced a real audit, leading to suspicions that Bitfinex may be printing virtual money backed by nothing.

The Tether currency has been valuable to traders because it allows them to hold a stable token, tied to the value of the dollar, and move it quickly between virtual currency exchanges.

But there is a downside. Because the identity of Tether holders is not always clear, the movement of the virtual token between exchanges — and across national borders — has raised concerns among lawyers about money laundering. The spread of Tether beyond Bitfinex has also spread the risk of its failure to other exchanges.

Market analysts have grown particularly concerned with the rapid pace at which new Tether have been issued and their timing. In a single week in mid-January, $450 million new Tether were created, bringing the total amount of Tether to more than $2 billion.

Several anonymous reports circulating among traders, including one posted to a website last week, have pointed to data from Bitfinex itself, showing that the price of Bitcoin has frequently gone up soon after new Tether were created, generally as a result of big trades on Bitfinex.

“This absolutely reeks of price manipulation,” a security researcher and market analyst, Tony Arcieri, wrote on his blog in mid-January.

Many investors and traders have pushed back against that criticism, noting that smart traders simply may be looking to buy when the markets are down.

“My personal biases make me inclined to believe that Bitfinex is not using Tether to manipulate the price of Bitcoin,” said Jeremy Gardner, a managing partner at the investment firm Ausum Ventures. “If they have attempted to do so, which would be deeply concerning, it’s hard to imagine that such fraudulent issuance at its current volume could single-handedly buoy the price of Bitcoin.”

But Mr. Krug, at Pantera Capital, said that if Tether were really being used by investors, they would probably also want to buy new Tether when the markets were going up, which has not been the case. Also, they would not always want it in exact increments of $100 million, as has been the case.

“After you see this enough times, you just start to wonder what’s really going on here,” Mr. Krug said.

The Bitcoin community is sensitive to the possibility of price manipulation because a team of academics published an article in early January suggesting that the price of Bitcoin was artificially inflated in 2013 by a single player operating on the largest exchange at the time, Mt. Gox.

One of the authors of that paper, Tyler Moore, said it could be hard to tell if similar price manipulation were going on today, though he noted that a lack of transparency made it hard for anyone to be certain of anything.

“Greater assurances are needed that the trades taking place are in fact legitimate and reflect buying and selling by independent actors,” said Mr. Moore, an assistant professor at the University of Tulsa. “Unless and until such oversight is implemented, we cannot trust the exchange rate to reflect only legitimate sources of supply and demand.”

Follow Nathaniel Popper on Twitter: @nathanielpopper

Bitcoin price today

The Bitcoin.com Composite Price Index

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Historic Bitcoin Price & Events

South Korea threatens to shut down cryptocurrency exchanges - December 28, 2017

Bitcoin price tumbled after South Korea announced more measures to regulate bitcoin trading, including a potential shutdown of exchanges, amid volatile moves in the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency market. “Cryptocurrency speculation has been irrationally overheated in Korea,” the government said in a statement. “We cannot leave the abnormal situation of speculation any longer.”

Bitcoin price hit all time high just below $20,000 - December 18, 2017

Bitcoin hits a new record high, but stops short of $20,000

CBOE Bitcoin Futures are launched - December 11, 2017

Futures on the world’s most popular cryptocurrency surged as much as 26 percent from the opening price in their debut session on Cboe Global Markets Inc.’s exchange, triggering two temporary trading halts designed to calm the market.

Bitcoin price breaks $10,000 for the first time - November 28, 2017

Bitcoin has finally surmounted the greatest psychological barrier of all, passing $10,000.

SegWit2X Cancelled - November 8, 2017

Bitcoin was scheduled to upgrade around Nov. 16 following a proposal called SegWit2x, which would have split the digital currency in two. However, more and more major bitcoin developers dropped their support for the upgrade in the last few months. Developers behind SegWit2x announced they are calling off plans for the upgrade until there is more agreement in the bitcoin community.

CME announces to launch Bitcoin futures - October 31, 2017

CME Group announced that it plans to introduce trading in bitcoin futures by the end of the year, only a month after dismissing such a plan. Chief Executive Officer Terrence Duffy cited increased client demand as a key reason for the change of mind. As a result, the Bitcoin price hit a high of $6,600.84 just hours after breaking through the $6,400 barrier, and a minute after moving past the $6,500 mark, according to data from CoinDesk. Its market capitalization, or the total value of bitcoin in circulation, hit $110 billion.

Bitcoin Hardfork: Bitcoin Gold goes live - October 25, 2017

According to the Bitcoin Gold pitch, returning to home users will bring forth greater decentralization. Since Bitcoin Gold was issued, its price has plunged over 66 percent within the first couple of hours. The sell-off was due to investors dumping the cryptocurrency, perhaps signaling a lack of faith in the newly-created coin.

Bitcoin price breaks $5,000 for the first time - October 13, 2017

The price of bitcoin has smashed through $5,000 to an all-time high. The cryptocurrency rose by more than 8% to $5,243 having started the year at $966.

China Is Shutting Down All Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Exchanges - September 15, 2017

Chinese authorities have ordered Beijing-based cryptocurrency exchanges to cease trading and immediately notify users of their closure, signaling a widening crackdown by authorities on the industry to contain financial risks. Exchanges were also told to stop allowing new user registrations, according to a government notice signed by the Beijing city group in charge of overseeing internet finance risks that were circulated online and verified by a government source to Reuters.

Jamie Dimon, head of JP Morgan calls Bitcoin as fraud - September 12, 2017

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said he would fire any employee trading bitcoin for being “stupid.” The cryptocurrency “won’t end well,” he told an investor conference in New York, predicting it will eventually blow up. “It’s a fraud” and “worse than tulip bulbs.”

China bans companies from raising money through ICOs - September 3, 2017

Regulators started to scrutinize China's initial coin offerings as announced by a local outlet. Caixin reported that a notice, issued by a working committee that oversees risk in the country's internet finance sector, said new projects raising cash or other virtual currencies through cryptocurrencies are banned. It added that authorities are cracking down on related fraudulent practices. The document defined initial coin offerings (ICOs) as an unauthorized fundraising tool that may involve financial scams, the Caixin report noted. The committee provided a list of 60 major ICO platforms for local financial regulatory bodies to inspect.

Bitcoin "splits" into Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) - August 1, 2017

After years of debating about how Bitcoin should scale the controversy turned into action. The Bitcoin code split in two different directions. One direction supporting the optimization of Bitcoin blocks through Segwit, while the other direction supports bigger blocks of up to 8mb.

Japan Declares Bitcoin as Legel Tender - April 1, 2017

Japan recognizes bitcoin as a legal method of payment.
The country's legislature passed a law, following months of debate, that brought bitcoin exchanges under anti-money laundering/know-your-customer rules, while also categorizing bitcoin as a kind of prepaid payment instrument.

SEC denies second Bitcoin ETF application - March 28, 2017

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday denied for the second time in a month a request to bring to market a first-of-its-kind product tracking bitcoin, the digital currency.

SEC denies Winkelvos ETF - March 10, 2017

the US government denied the application of Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — the brothers who once claimed to be co-inventors of Facebook — to operate an exchange-traded fund (ETF) to make it easier for investors to buy Bitcoin.

Bitcoin price breaks $1000 for the first time in 3 years - January 3, 2017

After rallying for most of the second half of 2016 Bitcoin breaches the $1000 mark for the first time in 3 years. Mass media coverage brings in an influx of new users that supposedly will raise the price even higher.

Donald Trump Elected as President, Market Plummet - November 9, 2016

In a shocking turn of events Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton and become the 45th president of the United States. The US market drops by over 1% and the Mexican Peso has plumbed record lows, and is now down 10% today at 20.22 peso to the dollar.

Bitfinex Hacked - August 2, 2016

Bitfinex, the largest Bitcoin exchange by volume, announced that 119,756 bitcoins of customer funds had been stolen via a security breach, a value roughly equivalent to $72 million USD. Bitfinex was holding the customer funds in multi-signature addresses in conjunction with its security partner BitGo. It is presumed that the attacker obtained access to the private keys for nearly all Bitfinex customer accounts, as well as access to the BitGo API for the Bitfinex account.

Second Halving Day - July 9, 2016

The block reward was decreased for the second time in Bitcoin's history, resulting in a new reward of 12.5 bitcoins per mined block. The automatic 50% drop continued Bitcoin's original design to gradually decrease the number of newly created bitcoins until the block reward ends completely, which is estimated to occur in the year 2140.

Craig Wright Claims to be Bitcoin's Creator - May 2, 2016

Following a five month absence from the public eye, Craig Wright publicly announced he was Satoshi Nakamoto by means of a blog post. The blog post featured a disjointed demonstration of a private key signing, which seemed to be an attempt to verify Wright was in possession of Nakamoto's private Bitcoin keys. This verification was later debunked by the Bitcoin community.

Steam Accepts Bitcoin - April 27, 2016

The popular gaming platform Steam began accepting Bitcoin as payment for video games and other online media. Valve, the company that owns Steam, enlisted Bitpay as the payment processor to facilitate Bitcoin payments and help target international customers where credit card payments weren't as ubiquitous.

OpenBazaar Launched - April 4, 2016

The initial production version of the first decentralized marketplace software, OpenBazaar, was released to the general public. The goal of the project was to facilitate peer-to-peer trade without a middleman, fees, or restrictions on trade. The software allows users to create virtual stores where buyers can purchase goods using Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Roundtable Consensus - February 21, 2016

Influential members of the Bitcoin community met in Hong Kong to discuss a development plan and timeline for scaling Bitcoin. The closed-door meeting included over 30 miners, service providers, and Bitcoin Core developers and was meant to address solutions to the block size debate.

Mike Hearn Quits Bitcoin (a.k.a The Hearnia) - January 14, 2016

In a public blog post, Mike Hearn declared that Bitcoin had failed and that he will "no longer be taking part in Bitcoin development". Hearn was an ex-Google developer who had been heavily involved in the Bitcoin community and related projects since the early days of the cryptocurrency. His most popular project was bitcoinj, a Java implementation of the Bitcoin protocol.

Gwern and WIRED Claim Craig Wright is Probably Satoshi Nakamoto - December 8, 2015

Security researcher and writer, Gwern Branwen, published an article in WIRED magazine claiming that an Australian man named Dr. Craig S. Wright was either Satoshi Nakamoto or a "brilliant hoaxer". Gwern cited a number of Wright's deleted blog posts, leaked emails, and transcripts that seemed to suggest Wright is Bitcoin's creator. In one leaked transcript Wright himself claims "I did my best to try and hide the fact that I’ve been running bitcoin since 2009". Another document detailed that Wright had access to a Bitcoin trust worth 1.1 million bitcoins.

Bitcoin Sign Accepted into Unicode - November 3, 2015

The Unicode committee accepted the Bitcoin currency symbol (uppercase B with 2 vertical bars going through it, but only visible at the top and bottom) to be in a future version of the Unicode standard. The glyph will be given the slot "U+20BF BITCOIN SIGN" and eventually will render with standard system fonts.

Bitcoin Featured on Front Page of The Economist - October 31, 2015

The Economist, a globally popular British publication focused on economic liberalism, made it's article "The Trust Machine" the featured cover story of it's weekly print edition. The article focused mainly on the utility of blockchain technology, promoting the idea that banks and government institutions may implement their own blockchains to create "cheap, tamper-proof public databases".

EU Declares No VAT on Bitcoin Trades - October 22, 2015

The European Court of Justice ruled that the exchange of Bitcoin and "virtual currencies" is not subject to value-added-tax (VAT) in the European Union. The ruling acts to classify Bitcoin and related alt-coins as currency, instead of goods or property.

Gemini Exchange Launched - October 8, 2015

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss released their own US based Bitcoin exchange dubbed "Gemini". Upon launch, the exchange was licensed to operate in 26 states and was able to "service both individual and institutional customers" due to its LLTC corporate structure. Gemini was also able to offer FDIC insurance on customer deposits thanks to a partnership with a New York based bank.

Bitcoin declared as a commodity by the US regulator - September 18, 2015

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), announced it had filed and settled charges against a Bitcoin exchange for facilitating the trading of option contracts on its platform. They state: "In this order, the CFTC for the first time finds that Bitcoin and other virtual currencies are properly defined as commodities,".

Bitcoin XT Fork Released - August 15, 2015

Bitcoin Core developers Mike Hearn and Gavin Andresen released a separate version of the Bitcoin client software, called Bitcoin XT. The release illustrates an ongoing controversy in the Bitcoin development community: what limit should be placed on the size of Bitcoin's blocks? Bitcoin XT implements BIP 101, which proposes "replacing the fixed one megabyte maximum block size with a maximum size that grows over time at a predictable rate".

Mark Karpeles Arrested - August 1, 2015

Mark Karpeles, the CEO of the failed Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, was arrested in Japan on charges of fraud and embezzlement in relation to collapse of the exchange. Karpeles faces allegations of illegally manipulating trade volume and the personal use of client deposits, of which may have led to the exchange's insolvency. Mt. Gox is thought to have ultimately lost 744,400 Bitcoins of customer deposits.

2 Federal Agents Plead Guilty to Silk Road Theft - July 1, 2015

Former Federal agents Carl Force IV (DEA) and Shaun Bridges (Secret Service) pleaded guilty to stealing Bitcoins for their personal gain during their active investigation of the Silk Road marketplace.

New York State Releases the BitLicense - June 3, 2015

Superintendent of New York State Department of Financial Services, Benjamin Lawsky, released a set of customized rules meant to regulate Bitcoin and digital currency businesses that serve customers located in New York state. These regulations are the first ever directly targeted at digital currency businesses.

Ross Ulbricht Sentenced to Life in Prison - May 19, 2015

After a month-long jury trial that ended in Ulbricht's conviction, Judge Katherine Forrest sentenced Ulbricht to life in prison without parole. Ulbricht had been found guilty on 7 charges of money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics in February due to his role as the operator of the Silk Road marketplace (a.k.a "Dread Pirate Roberts"). In a letter to Judge Katherine Forrest prior to his sentencing, Ulbricht admitted to running the Silk Road and made a plea for leniency. The judge's sentencing statement hinted that the harshness of the sentence was to make an example of Ulbricht: members of the public considering following in his footsteps should know "that if you break the law this way, there will be very serious consequences."

Coinbase Launches US Licensed Exchange - January 26, 2015

The VC backed startup Coinbase Inc., a popular Bitcoin outlet and payment processor, announced the release of its own Bitcoin trading platform. The company founders stated they had worked for months to obtain various licenses from state financial regulators, allowing them to legally accept customers from 25 different US states.

Bitstamp Hacked - January 4, 2015

Unknown hackers were able to steal 18,866 bitcoins from Bitstamp's operational hot wallet, worth roughly $5.2 million dollars. The attackers used social engineering against Bitstamp system administrator Luka Kodric to gain access to 2 of Bitstamp's servers and subsequently the hot wallet's private keys. The wallet was completely drained of all bitcoins shortly thereafter.

Charlie Shrem Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison - December 19, 2014

Labeled Bitcoin's "First Felon", Charlie Shrem, the CEO of bitcoin exchange BitInstant, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for his role in laundering money for users of the Silk Road, an online marketplace that catered to illicit goods and services.

Microsoft Accepts Bitcoin - December 11, 2014

Microsoft revealed it will accept Bitcoin from US customers for "apps, games and other digital content" offered on the Windows and Xbox online stores. The announcement was made via a post on the tech giant's blog and stated that Microsoft had partnered with Bitpay for Bitcoin payment processing.

The Slaying of BearWhale - October 6, 2014

An unknown trader places nearly 30,000 BTC for sale on the Bitstamp exchange at a limit price of $300 per bitcoin, worth roughly $9 million USD. The order was dubbed the "BearWhale" by the Bitcoin community due to its unprecedented size.

Paypal Subsidiary Braintree to Accept Bitcoin - September 8, 2014

Braintree, a subsidiary of Paypal, announces that it is partnering with Coinbase to accept Bitcoin payments on their platform. Over the next three months, the two companies will work on integrating Bitcoin payment processing for Braintree merchants. The Bitcoin payment option will be seamlessly enabled for all merchants on the platform. Braintree merchants need only sign up for a Coinbase account and link it to their Braintree account.

Dell Accepts Bitcoin - July 18, 2014

Founder Michael Dell announces on Twitter that dell.com now accepts Bitcoin. Customers in the United States (only) can purchase any product listed on Dell's online marketplace using Bitcoin. All Bitcoin transactions are to be handled by Coinbase, a Bitcoin payment processor. At a yearly revenue of $56 billion, Dell becomes the largest company to accept Bitcoin.

New York DFS Releases Proposed “BitLicense” - July 17, 2014

Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of New York's Department of Financial Services, announces a proposed set of regulations for businesses that interact with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. The goal of the new regulations, according to Lawsky, are to help "protect consumers and root out illegal activity – without stifling beneficial innovation". The regulations would require entities that deal in Bitcoin to run background checks/fingerprints for all employees, get written approval for new business activities by the state, and to immediately convert any Bitcoin profit to US dollars. Affected entities would be exchanges, mining pools, bulk Bitcoin sellers, and altcoin software creators based in New York state, or that have customers in New York state. News of these regulations are generally rebuked by the cryptocurrency community.

US Marshals Service Auctions 29,656 Seized Bitcoins - June 27, 2014

Nearly 30,000 government seized Bitcoins, obtained by the US Marshals Service during the October 2013 bust of the Silk Road website, are auctioned off in chunks of 3,000 bitcoins. Bidders are required to deposit $200,000 USD via bank wire in order to qualify for the auction. A single bidder (venture capitalist Tim Draper) won every auction, indicating that his winning bid prices were far higher than the current market price.

Mining Pool GHash.io Reaches 51% - June 13, 2014

Due to GHash.io's popularity and partnership with CEX.io to sell mining shares of their own mining hardware, the mining pool giant gains a sole majority of the Bitcoin network hashing power, and the ability to launch a successful 51% attack on the Bitcoin network. With a majority of the Bitcoin network hashing power, GHash.io could temporarily reverse transactions that they send (double spending) and prevent other transactions from being confirmed.

Chinese Exchanges' Bank Accounts Closed - April 10, 2014

The People's Bank of China's frequently updated restrictions against Bitcoin finally pressure some Chinese banks to issue a deadline against several bitcoin exchanges, requiring them to close their accounts by April 15. Although some are spared the warnings, the uncertain regulatory environment holds some prominent loopholes that virtually all Chinese exchanges quickly adopt. Using offshore banks, novel cryptographic voucher systems and other solutions, these trading platforms continue to operate, but at greatly reduced volumes from their hayday in 2013.

IRS Declares Bitcoin To Be Taxed As Property - March 26, 2014

The IRS policy document declares Bitcoin to be property, not currency, subject to capital gains tax – with that tax calculated against every change in buying power for a given amount of bitcoin, from the time it's acquired to the time it's spent. The decision is widely derided as unwieldy and overly complex, requiring users of the currency to record Bitcoin's market price with every transaction, subject to an array of largely unfamiliar calculations. Others, however, remark that the net tax paid may often be less than if Bitcoin were treated as currency proper - but to a market that emerged in tax-free innocence, it is a difficult blow to soften.

Newsweek Claims Dorian Nakamoto is Bitcoin's Creator - March 6, 2014

In an article titled "The Face Behind Bitcoin", journalist Leah McGrath Goodman writes that an unemployed engineer in Temple City, California is in fact Bitcoin's creator. Based on speculations and interviews with Dorian's family, Goodman's article ultimately draws an enourmous amount of worldwide attention to Dorian Nakamoto, who denies any involvement in Bitcoin and asks for privacy from the media.

Mt. Gox Closes - February 24, 2014

After putting an abrupt halt to withdrawals on February 6, claiming that a hacker had exploited their own poorly-implemented software through the use of transaction malleability attacks, disgraced bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox's website and trading engine go blank without official comment. Other exchanges and Bitcoin businesses issue a joint statement condemning the mismanagement, deception, and eventual collapse wrought by the executives of the Japan-based exchange, after an alleged leaked internal document showed that over 744,000 BTC were lost by the company.

Major Exchanges Hit With DDoS Attacks - February 7, 2014

Mt. Gox, Bitstamp, and BTC-e all experienced a stoppage of trading due to massive DDoS attacks that were apparently aimed at exploiting transaction maleability in the exchanges' software. Mt. Gox halted withdrawals first, on February 6, evidently contributing to a sharp drop in BTC price; the DDoS attack was detected on February 11, 2014.

Chinese Government Bans Financial Institutions From Using Bitcoin - December 5, 2013

Putting its first restraints on Bitcoin's surging popularity, the People's Bank of China declares Satoshi Nakamoto's novel invention not to be a currency. The policy change prohibits any financial institution to trade, insure, or otherwise offer services related to Bitcoin. Over the following weeks, further restrictions slowly strangle the Chinese cryptocurrency markets, as exchanges repeatedly try to find innovative, lasting ways to stay in operation, and prices around the globe sink dramatically.

Exchange Rate Peaks at $1,242 on Mt. Gox - November 29, 2013

Rapidly growing Bitcoin investment from China steadily drives prices higher and higher, reaching a peak on November 29th. Subject to strict controls concerning the movement of money across the country's borders, Chinese citizens embrace the freedom provided by Bitcoin with open arms, seeking an alternative to the state's inflating official currency, the Renminbi. The origin of mainstream Chinese interest in Bitcoin is largely credited to Jet Li's One Foundation, which publicized a Bitcoin address for donations in the wake of the April 20th, 2013 Lushan earthquake and received over 230 BTC in just two days, covered widely in the national media.

People’s Bank of China OK's Bitcoin - November 20, 2013

Speaking in Chinese at an economic forum, Mr. Yi says that “people are free to participate in the Bitcoin market,” and that he would “personally adopt a long-term perspective on the currency.” News of his statements energize the already active Chinese bitcoin markets, with the largest, BTC China, seeing trade volumes more than twice those of the world's second-largest exchange, Mt. Gox.

US Senate Holds Hearing On Bitcoin - November 18, 2013

Announced under the title "Beyond Silk Road: Potential Risks, Threats, and Promises of Virtual Currencies," hope for the U.S. Government panel's discussion is dim among the Bitcoin community leading up to the hearing. As the proceedings commence, however, many of the panelists and Senators agree that Bitcoin holds great promise. The general consensus is summed up by Jennifer Shasky Calvery, Director of the U.S. Government's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), who testified, “We want to operate in a way that does not hinder innovation.”

Dread Pirate Roberts Arrested - October 1, 2013

Following a trail of clues left carelessly across the internet, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (in conjunction with other agencies) manages to identify the alleged operator of the dark web marketplace, which saw most of its sales in illicit drugs. Ross Ulbricht, claimed by the FBI to be the site's founder, Dread Pirate Roberts, is arrested in a San Francisco Public Library and charged with narcotics trafficking, computer hacking, money laundering and engaging in a “continuing criminal enterprise.” About 30,000 BTC of the Silk Road's alleged bitcoin holdings are seized at the time, and an additional 144,000 BTC from DPR's private holdings are swept up three weeks later.

Tradehill Shuts Down (Again) - August 30, 2013

The business-to-business bitcoin exchange had been reliant on the relatively new Internet Archive Federal Credit Union to hold its clients' deposits in regulation-compliant, insured accounts. When the IAFCU determines that it can not reasonably handle the myriad regulatory issues surrounding Bitcoin, Tradehill is forced to halt operations and return customers' funds.

DHS Seizure Warrant Against Mt. Gox - May 14, 2013

When Mt. Gox opened an American bank account with Wells Fargo, President and CEO Mark Karpelès answered “no” to the questions, “Do you deal in or exchange currency for your customer?” and “Does your business accept funds from customers and send the funds based on customers’ instructions (Money Transmitter)?” The U.S. Government thinks otherwise. With the warrant signed, Homeland Security Investigations seizes $2,915,507.40 from an account owned by a Mt. Gox subsidiary that was used to process payments to and from U.S. customers, and the future of Bitcoin's legal status becomes ever more uncertain.

Increased Trading Volume Breaks Mt. Gox - April 10, 2013

Originally thought to be a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack on the largest bitcoin exchange, the great influx of traders on the heels of Cyprus's bailout announcement overwhelms Mt. Gox's servers, causing trades to stutter and fail. Speculative concerns about the exchange's hiccups feed a powerful panic-sell that saturates the market and drives prices down to pre-rally levels, before rising again a few days later.

Cyprus Bail-In - March 25, 2013

Orchestrated by Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, the Eurogroup, the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the €10 billion bailout is hoped to fortify the flagging Cypriot economy. Among its conditions, however, is a sizable levy collected from most bank accounts with holdings over the €100,000 cutoff - a serious concern not just for wealthy Cypriots but many internationals, as the nation's favorable policies had made it a popular global tax haven, particularly in Russia. Seeking solutions to preserve their holdings before the bailout's conditions take effect, many of these account holders begin buying bitcoin en masse, driving a price rally through early April that brought the value of one bitcoin from about $80 to over $260.

Bitcoin 0.8 Causes Brief Hard Fork - March 11, 2013

Shaking confidence in Bitcoin and the validity of some transactions, the price briefly plummets and the Mt. Gox exchange temporarily suspends bitcoin deposits. Thanks to a swift and coordinated response by Bitcoin developers, miners, and community members, the fork is resolved within hours after the operators of two large mining pools, Michael Marsee (of BTC Guild) and Marek Palatinus (of slush's pool), honorably forgo some of their accumulated mining rewards in order to downgrade to the previous, compatible version. An updated version, 0.8.1, is released shortly after, containing safeguards to prevent the original problem.

Halving Day - November 28, 2012

In line with the original design for Bitcoin's maturation, the number of coins created to reward miners undergoes its first reduction, beginning the long and gradual process of tapering the amount of new currency entering the economy. These “Halving Days” are scheduled to occur every four years, stepping down the number of new bitcoins generated until the reward reaches 0 in the year 2140, to yield a fixed money supply of 20,999,999.9769 BTC. This pre-programmed limit to inflation is a major driver of the currency's economic controversy, value appreciation and speculation.

Wordpress Accepts Bitcoin - November 15, 2012

In a smart and savvy release, Wordpress explains the decision: “PayPal alone blocks access from over 60 countries, and many credit card companies have similar restrictions. we don’t think an individual blogger from Haiti, Ethiopia, or Kenya should have diminished access to the blogosphere because of payment issues they can’t control. Our goal is to enable people, not block them.” As one of the 25 most popular domains on the web, Wordpress's move paves the way for later retail ventures in Bitcoin.

Bitcoins Savings & Trust Halts Payments - August 17, 2012

Promising consistent weekly “interest” returns of 7% to its creditors, Trendon T. Shavers (known on BitcoinTalk as Pirateat40) manages the secretive operation for about eight months, accepting only large deposits of bitcoin (50+ BTC) and paying out “interest” weekly. On August 17, 2012, Pirateat40 announces a halt to the operation, and absconds with deposits estimated between 86,202 and 500,000 BTC. On July 23, 2013, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission files charges against Shavers for defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme.

Linode Hacked, Over 46,000 BTC Stolen - March 1, 2012

An unknown hacker breaches Linode's server network and immediately seeks out accounts related to bitcoin, quickly compromising the wallets of eight customers. Bitcoinica, a large online bitcoin exchange, is hardest hit, losing more than 43,000 BTC, while other prominent victims include Bitcoin's lead developer Gavin Andresen as well as Marek Palatinus (also known as slush), the operator of a large mining pool. Both Bitcoinica and slush's pool bear the theft's losses on behalf of their customers.

Paxum and Tradehill Drop Bitcoin - February 11, 2012

On February 11, 2012, Paxum, an online payment service and popular means for exchanging bitcoin announces it will cease all dealings related to the currency due to concerns of its legality. Two days later, regulatory issues surrounding money transmission compel the popular bitcoin exchange and services firm TradeHill to terminate its business and immediately begin selling its bitcoin assets to refund its customers and creditors. The following day, Patrick Strateman, known on BitcoinTalk as phantomcircuit, benevolently discloses a devastating bug in how BTC-E, another online exchange, secures its clients' accounts and funds.

"The Good Wife" Airs "Bitcoin for Dummies" TV Episode - December 19, 2011

After the initial announcement of this upcoming, Bitcoin-themed episode, investors bet big on the show to catapult prices to new highs. About 9.45 million viewers tune in to watch "Bitcoin for Dummies" on January 15, 2012; the story involves a government manhunt for the creator of Bitcoin, who is charged with creating a currency in competition with the U.S. Dollar. Despite the massive exposure, prices remain stagnant following the show's airing.

Mt. Gox Hacked - June 19, 2011

By gaining access to the credentials of an official auditor working for the Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange, a hacker downloads a slightly out-of-date copy of the website's user database, including email addresses and insecurely hashed passwords. Using their newfound administrator-level access to the site, they place countless offers to sell bitcoins that don't exist, falsely deflating prices until the going rate reaches just $0.01 per coin. Mt. Gox reverses the fraudulent transactions and halts trading for seven days to re-secure their systems, and two other large exchanges issue temporary halts while their own security is reviewed. Soon after, a copy of the database is leaked and is used to launch attacks against accounts held by users of the MyBitcoin online wallet service who share the same password on both sites, resulting in thefts of over 4,019 BTC from roughly 600 wallets.

Gawker Publishes Article About The Silk Road - June 1, 2011

Titled “The Underground Website Where You Can Buy Any Drug Imaginable,” Adrian Chen's piece on Gawker is as provocative as it is popular. To many people reading it, the sudden realization that Bitcoin has a useful value – one that's entirely unique - hits home. With a link to Mt. Gox in the text, the article starts an enormous upswing in price that beats all previous records, reaching over $31 per bitcoin just one week after publication.

Three New Exchanges Open Supporting More Fiat Currencies - March 27, 2011

On March 27, 2011, Britcoin launches the first exchange to trade bitcoin and British Pound Sterling (GBP). Just days later, on March 31, Bitcoin Brazil opens a service for face-to-face exchange in Brazilian Reals (BRL) and U.S. Dollars. On April 5, BitMarket.eu begins facilitating trades in Euros (EUR) and other currencies. Together, they simplify bitcoin ownership and trading for hundreds of millions of new users and the market is expanded enormously.

Bitcoin Price Hits $1.00 USD - February 9, 2011

Just two years old, Bitcoin achieves parity with the U.S. Dollar on the Mt. Gox exchange. The following day, some popular news outlets feature stories on the symbolic milestone, causing such a surge of interest in the growing currency that the official Bitcoin website is temporarily hobbled.

Bitcoin Protocol Bug Causes Hard Fork - August 15, 2010

Using a peculiar quirk of the way computers process numbers, an unknown person creates a fraudulent transaction that generates 184,467,440,737.08554078 bitcoins – nearly nine-thousand times as many as can legitimately exist in the entire system. The oddity is quickly spotted by Bitcoin developers and community members, and a fixed version of the Bitcoin software is released within hours. By the next day, the corrected blockchain overtakes the exploited one, and Bitcoin is back in normal operation – but not before the market is badly shaken.

Mt. Gox Opens For Business - July 18, 2010

Jed McCaleb, a programmer best known for creating the successful eDonkey peer-to-peer network in 2000, announces the launch of Mt. Gox, a new full-time bitcoin exchange. Based on a prior, abandoned project of McCaleb's to create an online exchange for Magic: The Gathering cards, he soon struggles to keep up with the demands of the business and sells mtgox.com to Mark Karpelès on March 6, 2011. Mt. Gox would slowly grow to dominate the world of bitcoin trading over the next three years.

Bitcoin Posted on Slashdot - July 11, 2010

The release of Bitcoin version 0.3 is featured on slashdot.org, a popular news and technology website. Reaching a large audience of technophiles, the article brings many newly-interested people on board, driving the exchange value of a single bitcoin up nearly tenfold, from approximately $0.008 to $0.08 in just five days.

Two Pizzas Are First Material Item Purchased Using Bitcoin - May 22, 2010

BitcoinTalk user laszlo (Laszlo Hanyecz) pays 10,000 BTC for two pizzas delivered to their house (valued at about $25), ordered and paid for by another user, jercos. This assigns the first concrete valuation to bitcoin - about $0.0025 per coin.

The First Bitcoin-to-Fiat Exchange Occurs - October 12, 2009

Using PayPal, NewLibertyStandard buys 5,050 BTC from Sirius for $5.02, equating to roughly one tenth of a cent per bitcoin.

New Liberty Standard Publishes First Exchange Rate - October 5, 2009

New Liberty Standard opens a service to buy and sell bitcoin, with an initial exchange rate of 1,309.03 BTC to one U.S. Dollar, or about eight hundredths of a cent per bitcoin. The rate is derived from the cost of electricity used by a computer to generate, or “mine” the currency.

Genesis Block Established - January 3, 2009

The first Bitcoin transaction record, or genesis block, kicks off the Bitcoin blockchain and includes a reference to a pertinent newspaper headline of that day: