Tag: Cryptocurrency (Page 2 of 9)

Was The AMC FTX Token a Scam to Launder Money?

There are no signs of AMC Entertainment signing an agreement to the AMC FTX Token listed on the FTX crypto exchange.

When viewing the terms of service and terms of the tokenized stock product (AMC), users are prompted to error pages.

The AMC FTX token is also showing as an ‘invalid symbol’ on the platform with no live chart as we’ve seen in the past.

The tokenized stock was trading at $4 (USD) but has lost all its value since the company collapsed and filed for bankruptcy.

Retail investors are digging deep and are concluding that the crypto exchange could have potentially been using these tokens to launder money.

The FTX scandal only goes deeper into the rabbit hole.

Let’s discuss what happened.

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FTX Scandal: What Went Wrong?

What happened to FTX? FTX Scandal
What happened to FTX? FTX scandal | Crypto News.

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 11, 2022, after the company’s valuation dropped from $32 billion to bankruptcy in only a matter of days.

The collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange dragged founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s $16 billion net worth to near-zero.

FTX was responsible for dropping the crypto industry below $1 trillion.

On November 16, a class-action lawsuit was filed in a Florida federal court, alleging that Sam Bankman-Fried created a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme designed to take advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country.

Which celebrities were affected by FTX?

Steph Curry FTX
Steph Curry FTX promotion | Celebrities affected by FTX crypto scandal.

Celebrities named in the lawsuit include Steph Curry, Shaquille O’Neal, Shohei Ohtani, Naomi Osaka, Larry David, and Kevin O’Leary who allegedly helped Bankman-Fried promote the exchange.

FTX became one of the largest crypto exchanges in just three years with a valuation of $32 billion.

Bankman-Fried used aggressive marketing, including a Super Bowl ad campaign, and the purchase of naming rights to the home of the Miami Heat basketball team.

He became known for his political lobbying and donations as well as for working to support the cryptocurrency industry more broadly.

As values plunged in early 2022, he facilitated deals totaling about $1 billion to bail out cryptocurrency companies struggling as a result of the declines in token prices.

Conflict of Interest Created Mass Selloff in FTX

How did Binance play a role in FTX collapse? Binance FTX news.
How did Binance play a role in FTX collapse? Binance FTX news.

FTX’s collapse took place over a 10-day period in Nov. 2022.

The catalyst for the crisis was a Nov. 2 scoop by CoinDesk that revealed that Alameda Research, the quant trading firm also run by Bankman-Fried, held a position worth $5 billion in FTT, the native token of FTX.

The report revealed that Alameda’s investment foundation was also in FTT, the token that its sister company had invented, not a fiat currency or other cryptocurrency.

That prompted concern across the cryptocurrency industry regarding SBF’s companies’ undisclosed leverage and possession of assets.

Here’s when things really started going downhill for FTX.

Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, announced on Nov. 6 that it would sell its entire position in FTT tokens, roughly 23 million FTT tokens worth about $529 million.

Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said the decision to liquidate the exchange’s FTT position was based on risk management, following the collapse of the Terra (LUNA) crypto token earlier in 2022.

By the next day, FTX was experiencing a liquidity crisis.

Bankman-Fried attempted to reassure FTX investors that its assets were stable, but customers demanded withdrawals worth $6 billion in the days immediately following the CoinDesk report.

Bankman-Fried searched for additional money from venture capitalists before turning to Binance.

The value of FTT fell by 80% in two days.

Sources: Investopedia.

FTX: A Pyramid Scheme Created from Mass Marketing?

FTX Pyramid Scheme
Was FTX a pyramid scheme? Crypto news and more.

Within hours of filing for bankruptcy, FTX was hacked.

The exchange noted that ‘unauthorized transactions’ close to half a billion dollars in total were stollen from several wallets during a period of days.

Since the incident, regulators of the Bahamas have frozen FTX’s assets, and the company has strongly advised against customer deposits.

What’s occurred with FTX is an ongoing investigation and lawsuit against now ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.

So, was FTX just a scam to laundering money through the use of unauthorized stock tokens and covered by the hack that occurred?

Or was this just a poorly managed incident that occurred without motive?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Leave a comment down below.

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Crypto is Collapsing: Should You Take Your Money Out?

Market News | Crypto News: Should You Take Your Money out of Crypto?
Market News | Crypto News: Should You Take Your Money out of Crypto?

Crypto is collapsing and it’s been a very tough year for cryptocurrency holders as exchanges face the possibility of bankruptcy.

BlockFi is preparing for potential bankruptcy after halting withdrawals of customer deposits and acknowledging it has significant exposure to the now bankrupt exchange FTX, per the WSJ.

BlockFi paused withdrawals and limited activity on its platform last week, saying it couldn’t operate business as usual given the uncertainty surrounding FTX.

The exchange is now planning to lay off workers as the troubled firm prepares for a possible chapter 11 bankruptcy, said people familiar with the matter.

The Coinbase Pro cryptocurrency platform is also shutting down for good, per NerdWallet.

And a Hong Kong-based AAX crypto exchange is suspending all of its operations, per Watcher. Guru.

Crypto has had its ups and downs, but what’s occurring today seems like it’s going to have a longer effect on investors.

Should investors take their money out of crypto now?

Let’s discuss it.

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Bitcoin Magazine Warns Investors

Should you sell your crypto? Should you sell bitcoin?
Should you sell your crypto? Should you sell Bitcoin?

Just $3.7 billion Bitcoin were taken off exchanges last week per Bloomberg.

Bitcoin had fallen below $16K and is now trading just below $17K.

Now venture capitalists who invested in FTX are considering suing Sam Bankman-Fried for alleged fraud.

Confidence in the crypto space has fallen amidst the collapse of these exchanges.

The worst part is the number of investors who have been caught up in this mess.

According to the Washington Examiner, celebrities such as Tom Brady have lost most if not all of their investment in FTX.

Other athletes include Stephen Curry who had also signed previous agreements with FTX to promote the company.

Now Bitcoin Magazine and Unusual Whales are saying to get your money out of Bitcoin and crypto exchanges, signaling that matters could get worse before they get better.

Related: How to Invest in Cryptocurrency for Beginners

Will Crypto Go Back Up?

why is crypto collapsing? Will Crypto go back up?
Why is Crypto collapsing? Will Crypto go back up?

The current crypto crash we’re seeing today has been the result of centralized financial errors, according to CoinDesk.

“The meltdown of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto trading empire could not, and would not, have happened to a decentralized and transparent protocol”, says the Amanda Cassatt.

JP Morgan has also identified centralized players as the root cause of recent crypto collapses.

Will cryptocurrencies go back up?

With time and with investor confidence, the crypto market will eventually recuperate.

Should investors take their money out today?

This is going to depend on the individual’s need for liquidity.

With an economy that is currently fighting inflation, and unemployment rates rising, having capital at hand might just prove to be useful as today’s uncertainty only becomes more uncertain.

But I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Let’s start a discussion, leave your thoughts below.

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Related: List of 4 Best Crypto Exchanges for Beginners


Retail Investors Have Big Opportunity in the Market Right Now

Stocks and Crypto to buy in a bear market.
Stocks and Crypto to Buy in a Bear Market | Opportunity in the market right now.

That’s right, even in today’s bear market, retail investors have big opportunity right now.

If you’re a new investor or entered the market during the bull run, chances are your portfolio is down significantly.

But don’t let your first bear market shake you off because there are numerous opportunities out there that have the potential to yield big returns.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you’ve more than likely capitalized on opportunities such as AMC, HYMC, Shiba Inu Coin, Terra Classic, and Bitcoin during properly and fortunately timed moments.

So, what’s new?

In this article, I’m going to go over the opportunities I see that lie ahead for retail investors.

None of the information on my blog is financial advice but rather speculative content based on current information and trends in the market.

And with that being said, let’s get started.

Not Invested in The Markets Yet?

If you or someone you know are not invested in the markets yet, the two articles below are going to walk you through, step-by-step on how to buy stocks for the very first time and how to buy cryptocurrency for the very first time, too.

Much information on how to invest in the markets is outdated so I wanted to create easy guides for beginners.

You can read them here to get started:

Remember, one of the greatest wealth you can share with someone else is that of knowledge.

Opportunities in the Stock Market Today

opportunities in the stock market today
Opportunities in the stock market today.

During a bear market share prices tend to tumble, hence why many long-term investor’s portfolios tend to lose value.

And although we can’t entirely time the bottom, we know that at some point the stock market is at a massive fire sale.

Value investors such as you and I can pick up shares from our favorite companies at these low prices before the market reverses trend.

Economists, analysts, and entrepreneurs alike predict there is still room for another 10%-15% drop in the markets.

But for the record, these are just predictions after all.

The point here is for value investors to capitalize on this falling trend by purchasing low and holding during the next bull market.

Whether you choose to capitalize on opportunities presented in a bull market or not will ultimately be up to you.

However, capitalizing during a bull market will require value investors to buy during a bear market, not during the bull market.

After being involved in the retail community for almost three years now, there are stocks and crypto that just stand out as having big potential during the next bull run and I’m going to discuss them below.

Stocks Worth Buying During a Bear Market

None of the information provided below is financial advice, but rather speculative in nature based on market trends and current information at the time of publication.

AMC Entertainment Stock (AMC)

You’ve probably heard all the ruckus on AMC and ‘meme stocks’.

It’s true, the stock jumped from $5 per share to an all-time high of $72 per share.

AMC Entertainment stock is currently trading below $6 again due to this bear market.

What makes this stock such an interesting value investment is that it has a huge community made up of millions of people who plan to take its current price up again.

Plus, the company has beat earnings every quarter since 2021.

Investing in the largest movie theater chain in the world could prove to pay out big during the next bull market.

SPY Stock (SPY)

I’ve talked about SPY stock numerous times on my blog.

It’s even made the list of best divided stocks to buy for passive income.

SPY is the S&P 500 index fund that tracks the top 500 performing companies in the U.S and has been a favorite amongst value investors for a long time.

Warren Buffett himself says he’s moving 90% of his wealth to this specific stock when he departs us.

Just this thought should speak for itself.

SPY has a great track record for its increased value over time.

Vanguard Real Estate REIT (VNQ)

I believe every value investor should have at least one great performing REIT, or Real Estate Investment Trust.

VNQ is Vanguard’s commercial real estate investment trust with a great track record since the recession of 2008.

The REIT is also on the list of the best dividend stocks to buy for passive income.

While the real estate market is set to retrace some of its gains, keeping an eye on this stock may provide retail investors with big opportunity during the next bull market.

GameStop Stock (GME)

What GameStop is doing with their NFT marketplace is genius and not a lot of people know about it.

Wonder why, *ahem, mainstream media*.

The video game company is making it available for people around the world to own actual digital items inside games through the use of blockchain technology.

The opportunity this technology will bring to entrepreneurs and flippers alike in the future is massive.

Investing in GameStop early on could have massive potential as our economy shifts towards the digital/metaverse economy.

Amazon Stock (AMZN)

Amazon is now affordable for just about any value investor to buy shares from.

The company stock traded above $3K per share before its 20-for-1 stock split made it available for everyone to purchase.

AMZN is currently trading below $100 per share and it’s a steal whether you’re anticipating another 10%-15% market drop or not.

Tesla Stock (TSLA)

Despite what you might think of eccentric billionaire Elon Musk, you cannot deny what the entrepreneur has created is fascinating in its own respect.

Tesla stock has shown outstanding growth in the past even after stock splits.

We’ve seen this company’s stock reach massive popularity during the previous bull market.

In fact, it was right under AMC Entertainment stock as the most searched for stock on Google in 2021.

Meta Platforms Stock (META)

Most boomer investors, like mainstream media, don’t truly understand the potential of Meta.

While Zucks might currently get made fun of by Wall Street ego, there’s a huge opportunity investing in early technology, especially a technology that one day may change the world as we know it.

Today’s innovators will carry the baton, whether old power likes it or not.

Crypto to Buy During a Bear Market

crypto to buy in a bear market.
Crypto to buy in a bear market.

Here’s a list of cryptocurrencies I’m keeping an eye on in today’s bear market.

Think a stock or cryptocurrency should be on this article?

Leave a comment down below!

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What Are NFTs And How Will They Change The World?

If you haven’t heard of NFTs yet, you will.

This technology is a little mind boggling in the sense that it’s so simple yet revolutionary.

NFTs are going to change the way we transmit data and connect with one another.

The NFT community is growing now quicker than ever.

Welcome to Franknez.com – today I want to discuss what an NFT is and why this technology is growing so quickly.

Lets get started!

What Are NFTs?

NFTs, also known as non-fungible tokens, are a unit of data stored in blockchain technology.

This data is usually stored in a piece of artwork containing exclusive access and prizes for holders.

If you’re familiar with Gary Vaynerchuck, his startup VeeFriends is actually a collection of his personal NFTs.

Gary has built an NFT community where buyers gain exclusive access to VeeCon, a multi-day conference focused on business, marketing, creativity, entrepreneurship, and a lot more.

What Are NFTs Used For?

NFTs are tokens that may grant access to exclusive content, future products, prizes, or events.

Each NFT, depending on how the seller uses it, can unlock different levels of membership access. This is why NFTs are usually so expensive.

How Are NFTs Going To Change The World?

NFTs are cutting out the middle-man.

You can now sell NFTs directly without distributing tickets to your audience or community.

Business owners and entrepreneurs will be the ones to take advantage of this blockchain technology.

NFTs are also going to allow content creators to connect with the community and sell tokens for exclusive content and build a one of a kind art from that specific content creator.

These artworks are designed so that you cannot copy or duplicate them.

This precaution is taken to avoid scenarios like dealing with a cease and desist letter, and were originally created to protect artists’ copyright over their work.

This means only one person could own the original, or a few people could own part of a scarce collection from that artist or content creator.

NFTs are changing our world by how we communicate with one another and transmit information.

For consumers, it can be a great way to keep something very personal and special from your favorite content creators.

Related: Gary Vee's 'VeeFriends' Partners Up With Toys"R"Us

How Do You Buy NFTs?

Because NFTs are Ethereum-based tokens, most marketplaces only accept ETH as a form of payment.

And if you have never purchased crypto before, check out this article on how to open your account through a crypto exchange.

Here you’ll be able to purchase Bitcoin, Ethereum, ADA, Doge, and other cryptocurrencies.

OpenSea is the world’s first and largest NFT marketplace.

How to buy NFTs
How To Buy NFTs

Anyone can create and buy NFTs here, even if you’re not a content creator or have any knowledge in blockchain tech.

Can NFTs Go Up In Value?

If you’re a collector, then you’re more than likely building a portfolio that may go up in value over the course of a few months to a few years.

NFTs certainly have the potential to go up in value depending on who the creator is.

You just never know how far this certain content creator will go or who they will impact society one day.

Buying an NFT from their younger selves today could prove to be a rare piece of art in the future.

Related: CEO announces second AMC NFT for all shareholders

Will NFTs Become Mainstream?

My personal take is they will.

The NFT community is growing every day and as more content creators find ways to provide more value to their communities, NFTs will continue to be a source of exclusivity and connection.

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Read: How to invest in Bitcoin cryptocurrency for beginners

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