Cryptocurrency News Roundup for May 17, 2020

Meanwhile, open interest in Bitcoin futures has nearly doubled in the past two weeks. Similarly, Bitcoin options volume at CME increased by about 1,000% so far in May, indicating that institutions are bullish on Bitcoin’s near-future price movements. In other big news, the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, has made mixed remarks on the state of the U.S. economy as it struggles against the pandemic-induced slowdown. These, and more, in BeInCrypto’s cryptocurrency news roundup for May 17, 2020.

Open Interest in Bitcoin Futures Nearly Doubles

The number of open Bitcoin futures contracts has jumped from just under 6,000 to approximately 10,000 over the past couple of weeks — a new all-time high for the asset class. While the open interest rate is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future price movements, it does provide valuable insight into the scale of overall market activities. Read the Full Article

Federal Reserve Chairman Rejects the Likelihood of a Negative Interest Rate

All the speculations surrounding a possible ‘negative interest rate policy’ (NIRP) has been dismissed by none other than the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, himself. As for the overall state of the economy, he said that the market would likely recover in the latter half of 2020. However, things could become even more complicated if a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic strikes America in the coming months, he pointed out. Read the Full Article

J.K. Rowling’s Bitcoin Tweet Receives Massive Response

‘Harry Potter’ series author J.K. Rowling tweeted late last week saying she didn’t understand Bitcoin and would be glad if someone explained it to her. Needless to say, the massive response that followed was probably not something Rowling had anticipated. At one point, she simply resigned to the fact that she “will never be able to log in to Twitter again without someone getting angry” over the fact that she doesn’t own any Bitcoin. Read the Full Article

Best and Worst Responses to J.K. Rowling’s Bitcoin Tweet

Crypto Twitter came out in force to try and explain Bitcoin to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Responses to Rowling’s tweet ranged from succinct explanations to outright trolling. Vitalik Buterin also weighed in on the conversation but found his characterization of Bitcoin as “not backed by anything” drawing consternation from many respondents. Read the Full Article

Economic Impacts of Federal Reserve Stimulus Packages Could be Disastrous

The implications of the $3 trillion stimulus package undertaken by the U.S. government could be detrimental to the long-term health of the economy, according to many observers in the cryptocurrency space. They argue that while these desperate measures could offer some short-term relief, they will eventually lead to a long-term devaluation of the USD. Read the Full Article

Bitcoin Dominance Trend Climbs Toward 2020 Highs

Bitcoin dominance has become much less volatile, especially in the past year and a half. Since July 2019, dominance has basically fluctuated between 63% and 71%.

• Bitcoin market dominance is approaching a 2020 high.
• The altcoin market could take a hit if the trend continues.
• BTC dominance hit a 2020 low of 62% in February.

Read the Analysis