Yearly Archives: 2013

China central bank suggests faster tempo for freeing yuan

"China's central bank governor has dangled the prospect of speeding up currency reform and giving markets more room to set the yuan's exchange rate as he underlines broader plans for sweeping economic change. The central bank under Zhou Xiaochuan has consistently flagged its intention to liberalize financial markets and allow the yuan to trade more freely, even before the Communist Party's top brass unveiled late last week the boldest set of economic and social reforms in nearly three decades. Since the 60-point reform plan was released, Zhou has suggested urgency in pushing for change, although he has not provided any specific timetable." Continue reading →

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Now, in Second Place Is …

"The yuan in October emerged as the world’s second-most used currency in global trade finance. Countries generally trade through the dollar. They convert euros (or whatever the local currency happens to be) into greenbacks to buy some load of widgets from the Chinese. Then, China takes those dollars and converts them into yuans. But now countries are increasingly bypassing the buck and just dealing directly in the yuan. Yes, the dollar still plays a role in 81% of world trade, and the yuan is only at 8.7%. But all big trends start off small – the yuan was less than 2% of trade as recently as January 2012 – and this, mark my words, is part of a much bigger trend. And it will impact your life." Continue reading →

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Is Bitcoin Becoming the Anti-Dollar?

"It's not impossible to attack Bitcoin, but the effort to do so isn't trivial. Plus, there are ten thousand bright, young, adaptive people working on the technology every day, and their numbers are rising. If these people adapt and cooperate, any attacks will have temporary effects. (Even a full shut-down of the Internet wouldn't stop it for long, but I'll leave that discussion for another time.) If the Chinese, and/or Indians, and/or Russians start using Bitcoin as a way around the dollar, the world will change, and quickly. And that's looking more and more likely. These are interesting times. Those who break their stasis – who act and adapt – will not only thrive, but will find adventure and satisfaction along the way." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin Awareness Grows in South Korea After Central Bank U-turn

"Kevin Lee is a Seoul-based bitcoin entrepreneur and CEO of BitcoinKorea, South Korea’s first bitcoin business and portal. He has traveled around Asia attending bitcoin-related conferences and meetups, and wants to be instrumental in promoting its use in his native land. He thinks South Korea’s need for digital currency options are similar to China’s: a way to diversify investments and find a way around capital controls. Lee, a friend of Asia-based bitcoin missionary Roger Ver, said the pair will tour South Korea from 8th to 23rd January to spread the word – talking to major news organisations and helping to introduce Kraken, an exchange that launched in the country just last Friday." Continue reading →

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Bank of Korea Relaxes Negative Stance on Bitcoins

"The BOK said on December 3 that it made a report on bitcoins and is pondering a measure to open the virtual money to the public. The report however includes a negative opinion on the possibility of its use as a future currency. There are no stores in Korea that accept bitcoins except Korbit, which was established in April this year, specifically to facilitate trading in bitcoins. Bitcoins are only used for investment purposes, not for the trade of goods. Under such circumstances, a Paris Baguette in Incheon City started to accept bitcoins and developed a tablet application for bitcoin settlement." Continue reading →

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Despite panic, China’s regulation of Bitcoin leaves room for optimism

"In the aftermath of the first official statement by the Chinese government regarding Bitcoin, the entrepreneurs in China’s Bitcoin industry are optimistic. As is common in China, the actual extent of these regulations will be worked out over time as the Bitcoin industry develops, giving the government room to respond to new threats. My view is that this notice represents an expected development that encouragingly stops short of more stringent restrictions or an outright ban on Bitcoin’s use, and tomorrow China will still be the biggest potential Bitcoin market in the world." Continue reading →

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China feeds bitcoin frenzy

"More than a third of the world's bitcoin transactions now flow through China's largest bitcoin trading website BTC China, according to bitcoin data websites. China has surpassed Japan's Mt.Gox and Europe's BitStamp, reaching 100,000 Bitcoins in daily trading volumes, or more than 400 million yuan (U.S.$65.7 million) in daily transactions. In recent years China has been pushing to internationalize the yuan, adding more value to the once tightly controlled currency on international markets. But despite the changes, controls mean individuals still find it difficult to invest in assets outside China. As a result, more Chinese are looking to invest in alternative assets like bitcoin." Continue reading →

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Fund Manager Hugh Hendry: I would buy Bitcoin if I could

"'This is the environment where Bitcoin could go to $1m. There is no qualitative reason, but it is trending. If I could own Bitcoin, I would. If I own 3D printing, it is just the same thing,' he said. Hendry added fundamentals do not matter at a time when policy is misaligned, emphasising instead the ‘feedback loops’ created by QE. 'There is no point arguing about the one-way causality we [as an industry] believe determines our processes. That is all about a belief this is rational. We want to believe markets go up because the economy is improving, because corporate cashflows are improving. But when you get monetary disturbances creating loops, it does not really matter.'" Continue reading →

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China central bank warns banks against use of bitcoin

"China's central bank warned on Thursday that financial institutions should not trade the digital currency bitcoin, saying that while it does not yet pose a threat to China's financial system, it carries risks. The central bank also said in a statement on its website that it would act to prevent money laundering risks from bitcoin, a prominent digital currency that is not backed by a government or central bank. The PBOC will require trading platforms that deal in virtual currencies such as bitcoin to register with telecommunications authorities, it said. The central bank did allow that ordinary individuals were free to use bitcoin, so long as they take on the risk themselves." Continue reading →

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Everyone Is Baffled By Alan Greenspan’s Comment About Bitcoin

"'You really have to stretch your imagination to infer what the intrinsic value of Bitcoin is. I haven't been able to do it. But if you ask me, 'Is this a bubble in Bitcoin?' 'Yeah, it's a bubble.' People are baffled by this remark. That's because Greenspan refused to call the housing bubble a bubble, and presided over the dot-com bubble despite seemingly having recognized it as such as far back as 1996, when he made his "irrational exuberance" speech." Continue reading →

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