Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Bitcoin posts record high above $6,600

Bitcoin posts record high above $6,600

  • Bitcoin rose above $6,600 for the first time on Wednesday morning.
  • The rise extends a recent bull run for the cryptocurrency.
  • The latest record comes hot on the heels of CME Group's plans to launch bitcoin futures.


Bitcoin continues to post record highs, climbing above $6,500 and then $6,600 for the first time on Wednesday.
The digital currency is up over 2% against the dollar to $6,616.37 at 11 a.m. GMT (7 a.m. ET):bitcoinMarkets Insider
Bitcoin has been continually posting record highs of late, breaking through $6,300 and $6,400 for the first time in the past few days.
Wednesday's rise appears to be a continuation of Tuesday's rally, which was sparked by news that the exchange operator CME Group was planning to introduce bitcoin futures.
Mati Greenspan, an analyst with the trading platform eToro, on Wednesday said: "Not only is this a monumental testament to the belief in bitcoin and the demand in the market but it will also boost the liquidity by opening the market to many more interested players."
Bitcoin traders in Telegram chat rooms are also speculating that this week's bull run is partly helped by a coming "fork" in bitcoin's underlying software. The SegWit2x software update is scheduled for November 16 and could split bitcoin in two, creating a new currency. This has happened in the past with bitcoin cash and bitcoin gold, and in those cases bitcoin holders got those new coins free. As a result, investors may be piling into bitcoin in the hopes of a SegWit2x dividend.
Bitcoin has been on a tear in 2017, rising by over 500% against the dollar this year. The price rise has been driven by increasing mainstream adoption and awareness of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies more generally. At least 55 cryptocurrency hedge funds have sprung up this year, many of them focusing on bitcoin.

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House Republicans are delaying the rollout of their massive tax reform bill

House Republicans are delaying the rollout of their massive tax reform bill

Paul RyanHouse Speaker Paul Ryan Drew Angerer/Getty Images
  • House Republican leaders are delaying the rollout of their massive tax reform bill until Thursday.
  • The bill was originally scheduled for release on Wednesday, but tax writers still have not made decisions on key issues.
  • This is the first substantive delay for the GOP, which is pushing an aggressive timeline to pass legislation.


House GOP leaders are pushing back the release of their massive tax reform bill until Thursday due to unresolved decisions on key issues.
Rep. Kevin Brady, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and chief tax writer, planned to roll out the bill on Wednesday in order to try and get the bill passed through the House before the week-long Thanksgiving break.
According to the reports, GOP tax writers are still trying to hash out various details in the plan, including possible changes to 401(k) retirement accounts and the income level at which the top marginal tax rate will kick in.
This would be the first substantial delay for Republican leaders, who are trying to get the tax bill to President Donald Trump's desk by Christmas.
It should not seriously throw the bill's timeline off track, as a markup of the bill in the Ways and Means Committee is still scheduled for Monday.
There are still substantial issues to be worked out, according to reports, mostly centered on how leaders plan to offset the massive tax cuts in the plan.
For instance, a proposed top marginal tax rate of 39.6% is set to be included in the bill, but whether it will apply to people making more than $750,000 annually or $1 million has not been finalized.
Another issue still under debate is proposed changes to 401(k) retirement savings plans, which have been the subject of a back and forth between the White House and the House GOP over the past week. Trump tweeted that there would be "NO changes to your 401k" after reports circulated that Republicans were considering a cap on how much could be contributed to traditional, tax-deferred accounts.
Brady released a statement on the delay later Wednesday:
"Ways and Means Committee Members met tonight to discuss the work we are doing on pro-growth tax reform. In consultation with President Trump and our leadership team, we have decided to release the bill text on Thursday. We are pleased with the progress we are making and we remain on schedule to take action and approve a bill at our Committee beginning next week."

'Act of terror': At least 8 dead in New York City after truck driver plows into crowd

'Act of terror': At least 8 dead in New York City after truck driver plows into crowd

new york shootingPolice respond after a rental truck hit pedestrians in downtown Manhattan, New York City. Associated Press
  • A terror attack in New York City left eight people dead on Tuesday after a driver plowed a truck down a bike lane, hitting cyclists and pedestrians.
  • New York police arrested one suspect and said the threat is over.
  • Officials are investigating the incident as a terrorist attack.


At least eight people were killed in New York City on Tuesday after a man rammed a pickup truck into cyclists and pedestrians on a busy Manhattan bike lane, collided with a school bus, and jumped out brandishing fake guns, police said. They described the incident as an act of terror.
The suspect was arrested after being shot by a uniformed officer shortly after the crash. Authorities said the man acted alone and there was no longer an active threat as of Tuesday afternoon.
"This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference.
Six of the fatalities from the attack were pronounced dead at the scene, all of whom were males, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. The two other fatalities were pronounced dead at the hospital. Another 11 people were taken to the hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries.
Police did not name the suspect, but said he was a 29-year-old man. Media outlets, however, quickly began reporting his identity as Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old resident of Tampa, Florida, according to ABC News. Saipov is originally from Uzbekistan and came to the US in 2010, CNN reported
BI_Graphics_NYC attack_02Mike Nudelman/Business Insider
The attack began around 3:05 p.m. on Tuesday, when the suspect drove a rented Home Depot pickup truck down the West Side Highway bicycle path, entering at Houston Street, New York Police Department commissioner James O'Neill said at a press conference.
Media outlets reported that the driver of the vehicle drove into the bike lane for more than 10 blocks in the wrong direction, hitting cyclists and pedestrians along the way. 
The vehicle continued south and struck the school bus at Chambers Street, injuring two adults and two children, O'Neill said. The driver then exited the vehicle brandishing "imitation firearms" that were later revealed to be a pellet gun and a paintball gun, and was shot in the abdomen by a cop.
Some witnesses said they heard the suspect shouting "Allahu akbar," an Arabic phrase used by Muslims meaning "God is great," as he exited the truck.
"This is a tragedy of the greatest magnitude," O'Neill said.
Shortly after the incident, social media began flooding with photos and unconfirmed accounts from the scene.

nyc shootingvia Snapchat Maps

I hope everyone’s ok. Was half a block from me, didn’t see it but heard 8-10 quick rounds fired off. Be safe with your kids out there.



Once I got far enough away I took this video of the quick response from our amazing NYPD and NYFD
"I was just walking out of school heading in that direction and heard the shots," a student at nearby Borough of Manhattan Community College told Business Insider. Several nearby buildings, including Stuyvesant High School, were put on lockdown following the incident.
President Donald Trump has also been briefed, the White House said. At 5:30 p.m., the president tweeted, "In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!"

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