TradeStation President John Bartleman: Cryptocurrency "Here to Stay"
Cryptocurrency has investors in a frenzy, with some swearing by it, and others warning of instability and bubbles. In the pro-crypto camp is John Bartleman, president at digital brokerage firm TradeStation, who believes that digital currency is the future.
“I think this is here to stay, I think we are in the early days, somewhat like the internet in the early 80s, early 90s” he said.
Bitcoin is the top cryptocurrency now, shooting up the charts and, in a matter of weeks, jumping from $8,000 to over $11,000. Some analysts say there’s no reason for the hike, and swear the bubble is about to burst.
JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, one of the most notable naysayers, says the Bitcoin currency is a fraudulent system, too often used for illicit purposes. Similarly, the CBOE recently announced it will launch Bitcoin futures trading as of December 10th, offering free trading through the month of December. The exchange says the move will provide “transparency, efficient price discovery, deep liquidity, and centralized clearing,” to investors.
Bartleman does agree that there is a lot of fraud as of now, and that the digital currency can see a correction, but he contends that “there’s real value in [crypto].”
“In the next five years, I think we will find ourselves in a place where retail customers will be interactive, trading in different type of crypto companies,” Bartleman said.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
