Business
Germany’s $2 Billion Bitcoin Holdings Spark Investor Concerns Amid Selloff
For weeks, Germany’s government has been offloading hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bitcoin, causing significant concern among cryptocurrency investors and contributing to a sharp selloff in the market. Last month, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) began selling bitcoin from a massive haul seized from a now-defunct movie piracy website.
In June, the BKA sold 900 bitcoins, worth approximately $52 million. Last week, an additional 3,000 bitcoins, valued at around $172 million, were sold. On Monday, German police sold a further 2,739 bitcoins, equating to $155 million worth of the cryptocurrency. These substantial sales have coincided with a dramatic drop in bitcoin’s price, which fell below $55,000 on Friday, its lowest level since February 2024. The entire crypto market saw a significant loss, shedding over $170 billion in combined market capitalization in a 24-hour period.
Germany’s bitcoin sales aren’t the only issue weighing on the cryptocurrency. The payout of billions of dollars worth of bitcoin from the collapsed bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox to creditors has also put pressure on the market. The trustee for the Mt. Gox bankruptcy estate, Nobuaki Kobayashi, confirmed that repayments in bitcoin and bitcoin cash have begun through several designated crypto exchanges.
Despite the large sums involved, these sales are relatively small compared to bitcoin’s overall token issuance. In January 2024, police in the eastern German state of Saxony seized close to 50,000 bitcoins, worth around $2.2 billion at the time. This was the most extensive seizure of bitcoins by law enforcement in Germany to date. The funds were confiscated from the operators of Movie2k.to and transferred to a crypto wallet owned by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office.
Today, the BKA holds approximately 32,488 bitcoins, valued at roughly $1.9 billion. However, not everyone agrees with the government’s decision to sell its bitcoin holdings. Joana Cotar, a member of the German Bundestag, argued that the government should hold bitcoin as a “strategic reserve currency” instead of selling it. Cotar has reached out to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, and Saxony Minister President Michael Kretschmer, calling the decision to sell bitcoin “not sensible” and “counterproductive.” She has invited these officials to a lecture by prominent bitcoin influencer Samson Mow on October 17 in Berlin to discuss the matter further.
Business
Logan Paul Faces Scrutiny Over Cryptocurrency Promotions and Investments
Logan Paul, a prominent social media influencer with over 23 million YouTube subscribers, is under fire for his involvement in cryptocurrency projects. Accusations have surfaced that Paul may have profited by allegedly misleading fans into investments that caused token prices to spike.
Paul’s influence in the crypto space has been growing over the past three years, as his videos increasingly reference blockchain technologies and investment opportunities. However, some critics argue his endorsements lack transparency, fueling speculation that he may have sold tokens at inflated prices after his promotions.
Adding to his challenges, Paul is embroiled in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit over CryptoZoo, a failed crypto project he backed. The venture was marketed as a play-to-earn game, but investors claim they lost significant sums when the project collapsed.
Paul has denied any wrongdoing in connection to both CryptoZoo and his other cryptocurrency activities. Despite the controversy, he remains a major figure in the influencer world, leveraging his platform to shape conversations and trends across various industries.
Business
Walmart Raises Full-Year Outlook as Holiday Shopping Boosts Sales
Walmart has once again raised its annual sales forecast, citing stronger-than-expected consumer spending on non-grocery items, increased home delivery orders, and early holiday shopping. The retail giant now anticipates net sales growth between 4.8% and 5.1% for the fiscal year, up from its previous projection of 3.75% to 4.75%.
The updated outlook was announced alongside third-quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street expectations. Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey noted that general merchandise sales increased year-over-year for the second consecutive quarter, reversing a decline that spanned 11 quarters. However, he highlighted that customers remain price-sensitive, waiting for deals, particularly as food prices remain elevated.
“We’re expecting this holiday period to be very consistent with that,” Rainey said, emphasizing shoppers’ focus on price and value.
Walmart’s strong performance propelled its shares up by about 3% in early trading, reaching a 52-week high and setting a new all-time intraday record since the company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972.
For the quarter ending October 31, Walmart reported a sharp increase in net income, rising to $4.58 billion, or 57 cents per share, compared with $453 million, or 6 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue climbed to $164.05 billion, up from $160.80 billion in the same period last year.
Comparable sales, a key industry metric, grew 5.3% for Walmart U.S. and 7% at Sam’s Club (excluding fuel). Walmart also reported higher customer engagement, with U.S. transactions rising 3.1% and average ticket size increasing 2.1% year-over-year.
Business
Spirit Airlines Files for Bankruptcy Amid Financial Struggles
US budget airline Spirit Airlines has filed for bankruptcy protection, citing prolonged financial losses and failed merger attempts. The Florida-based carrier announced on Monday that it has secured an agreement to restructure its debt and raise funds during a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, expected to conclude by early 2025.
Spirit assured customers that its operations will continue as normal throughout the process, with no impact on passenger travel, employee wages, or payments to aircraft leasing firms.
This marks the first bankruptcy filing by a US airline in over a decade, with the last major case being American Airlines’ 2011 filing to address labor costs and high fuel prices. Spirit, however, has faced unique challenges, including intensified competition in the budget travel sector and engine-related mechanical issues that have grounded aircraft and increased operating expenses.
The airline has not posted a full-year profit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and reported losses of approximately $360 million (£285 million) in the first half of 2024, despite strong demand for budget travel.
As part of its restructuring, Spirit will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in the near future, and its stock shares will be canceled without value.
The airline remains optimistic that the Chapter 11 process will help it emerge more financially stable, ensuring continued service to its customers and support for its employees.
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