Cryptocurrency
From rugs to riches: UK carpet retailer to adopt Bitcoin standard
An online carpet and flooring retailer based in the United Kingdom has bought Bitcoin (BTC) and put it on its balance sheet, following in the footsteps of Tesla, MicroStrategy and Real Bedford.
Speaking to Cointelegraph, Paul Brewster, the CEO of Flooring Hut, explained:
“We see it [Bitcoin] as an asset that has probably the best potential for growth of our capital reserves at the moment.”
He explained that the company decided against keeping its cash reserves in a bank account, as Bitcoin could provide the greatest potential for providing returns, ultimately delivering better value for customers.
According to Companies House, the government agency that maintains the register of U.K. companies, Flooring Hut’s accounts from 2023 showed cash reserves of £75,105, which at the time of writing could buy roughly 3.3 BTC.
Moreover, the company is Bitcoin-only. Brewster explained that “Bitcoin is an asset class in its own right,” saying it is akin to “digital gold.” While on a personal level, Brewster and his colleagues have an interest in the wider cryptocurrency space, “We’re not going to be putting those on the balance sheet at Flooring Hut any time soon,” he said.
Flooring Hut will not custody the coins with crypto companies such as Coinbase or the now-defunct FTX. Instead, the company will resist rug pulls and keep the Bitcoin in cold storage, Brewster added.
This bold decision by the online retailer operating in the 2 billion pound carpet industry is particularly surprising, as it’s one of the “very few sectors where the application of technology has been severely lacking,” Brewster explained. The Financial Times, one of the U.K.’s most popular legacy finance publications, was quick to swipe at Flooring Hut on its page Alphaville.
In the article, the FT explained that the Flooring Hut news “is obviously engineering the kind of publicity stunt that’s catnip for snarky blogs such as ours.” The article’s comments section is even more scathing, with one commenter exclaiming, “This is pure comedy!”
Brewster understands Bitcoin’s somewhat negative portrayal in the mainstream media:
“You’ve just got to be mindful that people draw connotations from what they read in the media. When they see the word Bitcoin, they think, ‘Oh, is this company legit?’”
However, businesses across the U.K. seek innovative ways to invest their capital, as cash sitting in the bank depreciates under high inflation. The U.K. and its currency, the pound, are suffering more acutely than the European Union. As Brewster explains, managing a business in 2023 in such trying economic conditions is about being “progressive.”
“We’re going to reinvest that back into the company, which then leads to greater value for money for our customers, which gives us a competitive advantage over our competitors.”
The company is heading down the path of a Bitcoin standard — building out a business with Bitcoin in mind. Next, it will explore the implementation of Bitcoin Lightning Network payments to complement its online Mastercard, Visa and PayPal payment options.
Paying in Bitcoin is a small but growing trend in the U.K., particularly as the Lightning Network offers lower fees than existing payment providers.
Related: Bitcoin block 800,000 mined — What’s next?
The price per Bitcoin is up more than 60% in 2023 in British pounds, starting on Jan.1 at £13,700. Nonetheless, Bitcoin continues to be volatile. The price corrected 2% today, while some traders predict a price plummet to $19,000 in the near term.
Magazine: Peter McCormack’s Real Bedford Football Club puts Bitcoin on the map
Cryptocurrency
Tron (TRX) Price Heatmap: Is a Local Bottom on the Horizon?
Post-Christmas, the cryptocurrency market turned red, with most assets suffering heavy losses. Tron (TRX) is not immune to the downturn. Earlier this month, the asset reached a new peak and reclaimed the 10th spot by market cap, which sparked a renewed sense of hope in the community.
But the latest pullback extended its losses. As a result, TRX is down by over 43% from its recently established all-time high of $0.43 to the current price level of $0.25. However, data points to the formation of a local bottom soon.
TRX Nearing a Turning Point?
CryptoQuant’s analysis of TRX’s price heatmap revealed that the green trend, represented by the one-year moving average plus two sigma, could serve as a crucial support level during the current market correction.
Historically, this green trend has acted as a strong foundation during bull rallies, and it is anticipated to provide similar support, potentially marking a local bottom for TRX’s price.
The current levels for the green, purple, and blue trends are $0.23, $0.40, and $0.49, respectively. These levels are dynamic and will likely adjust upward with increased interest and demand. As the market heats up, attention should be given to the purple and blue trends, which may act as resistance zones. If TRX price stays above the green trend, it could signal the start of a new upward trend.
On the other hand, CryptoQuant warned that a drop below the green trend might indicate a weakening bull cycle. As demand strengthens, Tron’s price could target the purple and blue trend levels, with a breakthrough above the 0.40 level offering strong market confidence.
What’s Next For Tron?
Earlier this month, TRX’s rally was driven by speculations about Grayscale listing and Tron founder Justin Sun’s initiatives, including a $30 million purchase of WLFI tokens tied to Trum’s project and his advisory role. Sun’s involvement with the artwork “Comedian” has also engaged the community, igniting ripple effects for tokens like BAN and related projects.
Despite the latest setback to the rally, experts point to a moderately favorable year ahead for the asset. CoinCodex, for one, predicted that TRX could see a modest 2.93% price increase to $0.264 by January 24, 2025. The sentiment remains neutral, while the Fear & Greed Index reflects high optimism at 73 (Greed).
TRX has demonstrated 50% green days and 17.17% volatility over the past month, thereby indicating active market participation. Analysts view this as a good buying opportunity, with expectations of a short-term peak of $0.268 on December 30, 2024.
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Cryptocurrency
ADA Needs to Maintain This Level to Avoid Drop to $0.5: Cardano Price Analysis
Cardano is one of those crypto assets that has closely followed Bitcoin in terms of price action and is currently experiencing a pullback similar to BTC.
By Edris Derakhshi (TradingRage)
The USDT Paired Chart
On the USDT-Paired chart, the asset began its aggressive rally at the beginning of November, breaking the 200-day moving average to the upside. Since then, multiple resistance levels have been broken, but the $1.2 level has rejected the asset on a couple of occasions.
The market’s failure to continue beyond the $1.2 level has led to a correction toward the $0.75 support zone, successfully preventing a deeper decline. If this level holds, it could only be a matter of time before ADA climbs above the $1.2 mark. Yet, a breakdown of this area could result in a drop toward the 200-day moving average, located around the $0.5 level.
The BTC Paired Chart
On the ADA/BTC daily chart, it is evident that Cardano has outperformed Bitcoin during the recent crypto rally but is also depreciating against BTC on a broader scale. With the 1,000 SAT support level being almost broken to the downside, it is likely for the ADA/BTC chart to decline toward the 200-day moving average, located around the 700 SAT mark.
Therefore, as the chart suggests, it is probable that BTC will outperform ADA in the coming weeks.
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.
Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.
Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin Price Analysis: BTC Risks Dropping Toward $80K if it Fails to Reclaim $100K Soon
Bitcoin has failed to sustain its rally above the $100K level and has been correcting over the last week.
Yet, a bullish continuation can materialize soon.
Technical Analysis
By Edris Derakhshi (TradingRage)
The Daily Chart
On the daily chart, the asset dropped below the $100K level last week and has failed to climb back above it since. While the $90K support zone has held the market, preventing it from dropping lower, the price has failed to break above the $100K level yet again and is getting rejected to the downside.
This could result in a deeper continuation below the $90K and toward the $80K area in the coming weeks if the price fails to break back above $100K.
The 4-Hour Chart
Looking at the 4-hour timeframe, things look slightly more tricky for Bitcoin. The price has recently broken the ascending channel pattern to the downside, which can be a reversal signal. The lower boundary of the pattern has also been retested twice alongside the $100K resistance level.
Yet, both levels have held and pushed the asset lower, which could lead to a drop toward the $90K level and even lower in the short term.
On-Chain Analysis
By Edris Derakhshi (TradingRage)
Long-Term Holder SOPR
Not everything can be figured out using technical and price analysis. For a better view of the underlying dynamics of the Bitcoin network, it is beneficial to analyze on-chain metrics.
This chart presents the long-term holder SOPR metric, which measures the ratio of profit realization by investors who have held their coins for over 6 months. As the chart suggests, the realized profit is relatively high, but it has yet to reach the values previously seen when the market was consolidating below the $70K level. This is especially interesting, as BTC is now trading around $100K.
As a result, it could be interpreted that long-term holders’ selling pressure is still insufficient to overwhelm the market, and the price could still rally higher in the coming weeks.
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.
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