Trump’s Bitcoin Bonanza: The Price is Right, but Will the Fed Play Nice?

What to know:

By James Van Straten (All times ET unless indicated otherwise)

Ah, another day in the grand circus of the Trump administration! Wednesday, my dear readers, promises to be a spectacle worthy of the finest Russian theater. 🎭

Our illustrious president, with the fervor of a man who just discovered a new flavor of ice cream, is spreading his bitcoin enthusiasm like confetti at a wedding. The Czech National Bank’s Governor, AleĹĄ Michl, has caught the fever and plans to present a proposal to add billions of euros worth of bitcoin to their reserves. If this plan gets the green light, they’ll be the first Western central bank to embrace the digital gold! Talk about a plot twist! 💰

Meanwhile, the Federal Open Market Committee is gathering later today, where the fed funds rate is expected to remain as stable as a cat on a hot tin roof at 4.25%-4.50%. Will Jerome Powell deliver a hawkish squawk or a gentle coo? The markets are on the edge of their seats, popcorn in hand! 🍿

Markets seem to have shrugged off the ominous specter of the Chinese DeepSeek AI program, with bitcoin bouncing back over $102,000. U.S. equities are playing coy, just shy of a new all-time high, as Nvidia (NVDA) makes a triumphant return with a nearly double-digit leap. It’s like watching a soap opera unfold! 📈

As the market closes, brace yourselves for a rollercoaster of volatility, with major tech companies like Tesla (TSLA) ready to unveil their earnings. Hold on to your hats, folks! 🎢

What to Watch

  • Crypto:
    • Jan. 29: Cardano’s Plomin hard fork network upgrade. (Because who doesn’t love a good hard fork?)
    • Jan. 29: Ice Open Network (ION) mainnet launch. (Let’s hope it doesn’t melt!)
    • Jan. 31: Crypto.com suspends purchases of various cryptocurrencies in the EU. (Regulations, am I right?)
    • Feb. 2, 8:00 p.m.: Core blockchain Athena hard fork network upgrade (v1.0.14) – because upgrades are the new black.
    • Feb. 4: MicroStrategy (MSTR) Q4, FY 2024 earnings. (Will they be swimming in profits or drowning in losses?)
    • Feb. 4: Pepecoin (PEPE) halving. (A moment of silence for the fallen coins.)
    • Feb. 5, 3:00 p.m.: Boba Network’s Holocene hard fork network upgrade. (Boba tea, anyone?)
    • Feb. 6, 8:00 a.m.: Shentu Chain network upgrade (v2.14.0). (Version 2.14.0, because 2.13.9 just wasn’t cutting it.)
    • Feb. 12: Hut 8 Corp. (HUT) Q4 2024 earnings. (Will they be cozy or cold?)
    • Feb. 13 (after market close): Coinbase Global (COIN) Q4 2024 earnings. (The suspense is killing me!)
    • Feb. 15: Qtum (QTUM) hard fork network upgrade at block 4,590,000. (Forks everywhere, it’s a culinary delight!)
    • Feb. 18 (after market close): Semler Scientific (SMLR) Q4 2024 earnings. (Will they be scientific or just plain boring?)
  • Macro
    • Jan. 29, 8:45 a.m.: The Bank of Canada releases its quarterly Monetary Policy Report. (Grab your maple syrup!)
    • Jan. 29, 9:45 a.m.: The BoC announces its interest-rate decision. (Will it be a sweet deal or a sour one?)
    • Jan. 29, 2:00 p

Read More

2025-01-29 15:15