ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, CNBC's December Federal Reserve survey respondents are confident that the Fed will cut rates this week, but they are less certain about whether it should. 93% believe the Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points. However, only 63% think this is what the Fed should do. Respondents expect two more rate cuts in 2025, each by 25 basis points, down from three in the last survey. By this time next year, the fund rate is expected to drop to 3.8%, and by the end of 2026, it will fall to 3.4%, slightly above the average neutral rate. A huge unknown is the fiscal policy of the new government.The survey shows that the prospects of tariffs and potential deportations under President Trump have dampened some people's upward economic forecasts. Economist Robert Fry stated, "I have never been so uncertain about the inflation outlook." Trump offers us a combination of raising inflation (tariffs, tax cuts) and lowering inflation (deregulation, spending cuts). Who knows what we will ultimately get?

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, a 35-year-old man from Springfield, Virginia, Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, has been criminally charged for donating cryptocurrency to the notorious Islamic terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), from October 2019 to October 2022, Chhipa sent cryptocurrency worth $185,000 to ISIS members in Syria.

ChainCatcher news, according to data estimated by NFT researcher Pluid, when the fully diluted market value (FDV) of the PENGU token reaches 5 billion dollars, the price of each token will reach 0.05625 dollars. Pudgy Penguins NFT holders can receive an airdrop of approximately 117,000 dollars, while Lil Pudgy holders can receive an airdrop of approximately 11,700 dollars. If the market value reaches 10 billion dollars, the airdrop value for a single Pudgy Penguins NFT holder will increase to 234,000 dollars.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, the Abkhazian police have recently intensified their crackdown on private crypto miners, seizing nearly 200 mining machines within four days. The Abkhazian State Security Service (SSS) conducted raids in cities such as Ochamchira and Sukhum from December 10 to 13, confiscating 194 mining machines. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also seized 10 mining machines from the Gudauta and Gagra districts.Timur Dzhindzholiya, head of Chernomorenergo, stated that despite the implementation of rolling blackouts, energy consumption has not decreased, indicating that crypto mining continues to consume a significant amount of electricity. On December 10, internet service providers suspended the network for seven hours in an attempt to alleviate the pressure of mining on the power grid. On December 11, the Inguri Hydroelectric Power Station was forced to shut down for 24 hours due to low water levels.In addition, Abkhazia's acting Prime Minister Bganba has called on the government to consider declaring a state of emergency in the energy sector.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, based on CME Federal Reserve observation data, the market widely expects the Federal Reserve to announce a 25 basis point rate cut to the 4.25%-4.50% range at this week's FOMC meeting, marking the second rate cut since November, with the current expected probability as high as 93.4%.Luis Buenaventura, head of cryptocurrency at GCash, stated that since the rate cut expectations have already been priced in by the market, the direct impact of this policy adjustment on cryptocurrency prices will be relatively limited. Historical data shows that when Bitcoin experiences a 50% increase within 60 days, there is about a two-thirds probability of achieving an additional 35% increase in the following two months.Neal Wen, global business development director at Kronos Research, added that in a low-interest-rate environment, institutional investors tend to view crypto assets as an alternative to traditional investments. Min Jung, a research analyst at Presto Labs, pointed out that the market focus has shifted to the policy speech content and the latest economic projections dot plot from Federal Reserve Chairman Powell, which will provide important guidance for the direction of monetary policy in 2025.

ChainCatcher news, BTC Markets cryptocurrency analyst Rachael Lucas stated: "Setting a new all-time high is significant for Bitcoin, marking its evolution into a more mature asset class, reflecting Bitcoin's transition from a retail-driven asset to one supported by institutional demand, ETFs, and corporate bonds, which enhances its legitimacy."The analyst noted that several factors contributed to Bitcoin's breakthrough of $106,000, including the recent statement by elected President Trump expressing his desire to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve and do "some great things" with cryptocurrency, as well as MicroStrategy being included in the Nasdaq 100 and Riot recently announcing the purchase of 5,117 BTC.Presto Research analyst Min Jung said: "The FOMC meeting scheduled for this Wednesday will provide important insights into the Federal Reserve's outlook on potential interest rate cuts." Jung added that cryptocurrency prices are expected to be significantly influenced by announcements or developments related to Trump's inauguration in January next year.

ChainCatcher news, according to Onchain Lens monitoring, 7 hours ago, a newly created Gnosis Safe wallet purchased 761,878 VIRTUAL at an average price of $2.62, worth $2 million.

ChainCatcher news, internet celebrity squirrel Peanut's owner Mark Longo (@Squirrel_Dad12) posted that he has sent a cease and desist letter to Binance through his law firm. The letter states that Binance has used multiple intellectual properties without authorization, including the PNUT trademark and the image of a squirrel wearing a cowboy hat.According to the letter, Longo has been using the PNUT-related trademark in the United States since April 2017, primarily for educational and charitable projects related to animal protection, wildlife, and nature conservation. If the infringement is proven to be willful, the compensation amount could reach up to $150,000 for each infringement. The lawyer demands that Binance respond and cease all infringing activities by December 31.

ChainCatcher news, according to CME's "FedWatch": The probability that the Federal Reserve will keep the current interest rate unchanged until December is 4.0%, while the probability of a cumulative rate cut of 25 basis points is 96%. The probability of maintaining the current interest rate until January next year is 3.2%, while the probability of a cumulative rate cut of 25 basis points is 78.3%, and the probability of a cumulative rate cut of 50 basis points is 18.5%.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Goldman Sachs believes that the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut in December is a foregone conclusion, followed by consecutive cuts of 25 basis points in January and March of 2025; subsequently, there will only be rate cuts in the June and September meetings. However, there are still some variables, as more and more Federal Reserve officials indicate that the FOMC may slow down the pace of rate cuts sooner, so there is a risk of pausing rate cuts in the January meeting.Traders now believe that the likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting rates by 25 basis points at the meeting on December 17-18 is as high as 97%. However, due to stronger data in November, the risk of the Federal Reserve pausing rate cuts in early 2025 has increased. Powell's post-meeting speech and the latest economic forecasts will be crucial.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Bitcoin mining company MARA is striving to catch up with MicroStrategy in an attempt to join the Nasdaq 100 index, which means becoming one of the 100 largest companies by market capitalization on Nasdaq. However, analysts believe there is still a significant gap between the two.According to data from Financecharts, MicroStrategy's market capitalization reached $94.77 billion at the close of the trading week ending December 13, while MARA's market capitalization was $7.32 billion, meaning MicroStrategy's market cap is approximately 12.9 times that of MARA.Additionally, data from Yahoo Finance shows that MARA's closing trading price this week was $22.73, up 16.74% over the past six months, while MicroStrategy's closing price was $408.67, with a staggering increase of 173.27% during the same period.

ChainCatcher news, or influenced by the "OpenSea has registered a foundation in the Cayman Islands" news, the NFT series Gemesis saw its floor price break 0.08 ETH yesterday, currently reported at 0.051 ETH. Data shows that the trading volume of this NFT series reached 261 ETH yesterday, an increase of about 81% compared to the 13th.It is reported that Gemesis is a limited edition NFT series released by OpenSea Pro, which not only records the platform's development from Gem to OpenSea Pro but also serves as a special thank you to the community members who have long supported the platform.

ChainCatcher news, Artemis data shows that only AI tokens outperformed Meme coins at the beginning of 2024. By mid-November, the returns of Meme coins were 6 times the average of the cryptocurrency market.Market insight platform Kaito AI points out that a quarter of cryptocurrency investors prioritize discussions about Meme coins. In other words, the focus is more on short-term profits rather than long-term value returns.From a narrative perspective, year-to-date, the following categories of altcoins have outperformed Bitcoin: Meme, RWA, prediction markets, PolitiFi, AI, Solana, and smart contract platforms.

ChainCatcher news, analyst Megan Leonhardt stated that although there was no progress in curbing inflation in November, federal funds futures indicate that the likelihood of Federal Reserve policymakers lowering the benchmark interest rate by another 25 basis points is nearly 100%. The rationale for a rate cut may depend on the Fed officials' desire to align the benchmark rate with the current economic conditions, as inflation has significantly retreated from its peak in 2022, and the previously tight labor market is normalizing.However, if next week's rate cut is accompanied by Powell's forward guidance, suggesting that the Fed will seek to pause rate cuts at the beginning of the year, do not be surprised. The Fed not only needs to control inflation in its final stages, but many fiscal policy outcomes over the next year could alter the trajectory of inflation. Additionally, there are indeed some areas of weakness in the labor market that warrant close observation. All of this presents directional challenges for the Fed in the coming months, and policymakers may avoid taking action at a startling pace.

According to ChainCatcher news, the CME "FedWatch" indicates that the probability of the Federal Reserve maintaining the current interest rate until December is 4%, while the probability of a cumulative rate cut of 25 basis points is 96%.