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An End to Progress

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An End to Progress

by Jeff Thomas, editor, International Man Communique

An End to Progress

 

"Progress may have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."

I’ve always been fond of that quote. Back when Ogden Nash wrote it, it was quite clever. Today, the quote is a bit less entertaining, as we are living in a period when, more and more, world leaders seem to be headed in the wrong direction – away from progress. As the Great Unravelling plays out, people are coming to the conclusion that the directions taken by their leaders are, not only the wrong thing to do but the exact opposite of the right thing to do.

The first category in which this seems to be true is economics. Most world leaders are quite committed to the idea that Keynesian economics will provide all the answers to solve any economic problem. However, the further each country goes down the Keynesian road, the clearer it becomes that Keynesian theory simply does not work. In fact, many countries that have followed it are on the brink of economic collapse, yet they are charging forward all the more determinedly with solutions that are based upon the very theories that caused the problems.

The second category is economic legislation. In most First World countries, particularly the US, legislators are making it ever-more difficult for businesspeople to function, as a result of the passage of ever-more complex and stricter regulations. The free market is, at this point, far from free, and there is a substantial flow of business away from First World countries as a result. Contrary to the claims of many politicians, most businesspeople are not following this exodus out of greed, but out of a need for survival.

The third category is social legislation. First World countries, at one time, took pride in referring to themselves as "the Free World," in contrast to the communist and socialist Second World. Not so, today. Whilst many former Second World countries are beginning to open up, First World countries, generally speaking, are passing increasingly draconian legislation, converting once-free countries into virtual police states.

When the above trend began, few people took much notice, but, in recent years, the changes that have taken place are becoming, increasingly, both more numerous and more frequent. At present, the frequency and severity of governmental developments have begun to resemble a runaway train.

 

 

As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, more and more people are becoming convinced as to the reality of all of the above – that we are reaching an "End of Progress." There does, however, seem to be a division in who they feel is responsible. Three theories follow.

The Evil Party

  • The party I support makes mistakes, but they mean well.
  • The alternate party is inherently evil and must be removed from power.
  • The future depends upon whether our party takes control as a result of the next election.

People who see the control of their country in this light tend to live from election to election, each time hoping that their chosen party will take control of all branches of their government (such as occurred in the US between 2008 and 2010). On occasions when their party does succeed in doing so, they rarely seem to lose faith in this belief, even when their party fails to "right all the wrongs" as they promised they would if they gained complete control.

The Inept Legislators

  • Both our primary political parties have become thoroughly corrupt.
  • It no longer matters which party we vote for. They both act in opposition to our best interests.
  • Legislators appear to be so inept that they truly don’t understand that they are bringing about the ruination of the country.
  • All (or most) legislators have sold out to corporate interests, which have become their puppeteers.

The followers of this theory tend to believe that the situation will not improve substantially, no matter who is elected.

The Elite

  • A group exists, made up primarily of bankers, whose goal is to one day rule the world.
  • The Elites control the central banks of the First World, and, therefore, control the governments, as legislators need loans from the banks to pay for the ever-increasing cost of government. (Tax dollars, at this point, could not come close to covering that debt.)
  • The Elites are not buffoons. They know exactly what they are doing, and they have a very clear long-term plan.
  • The Elite plan is for a neo-serfdom; the elimination of the middle class, with the Elite as a very small, very wealthy class who will dominate nearly every facet of the lives of the proletariat.

A dominant perception of the identity of the Elite begins in 19th century Europe, with Mayer Rothschild, whose five sons are credited with developing a concerted plan for economic and political domination of the world. Their descendants are believed to have conquered America in the early 20th century when they and others created the US Federal Reserve. Since that time, the power of the Elite has slowly increased both politically and economically, whilst the Elite themselves remain well in the background.

From the beginning, a Rothschild tenet was to avoid the limelight, whilst pulling the strings behind the screen. With each generation, this concept has been more apparent, and, today, the family names that have been associated with the seizure of control tend not to appear in the media. The names of Rothschild, Rockefeller, Morgan and the rest have either become less visible or more closely associated with philanthropy in public awareness.

Theories differ as to whether the Elite plan a communist, socialist, fascist, or another type of state, but they agree that the goal is a statist system, with a minimum of personal freedom for the proletariat.

There appears to be a bit of a divide between those who support each of the above theories. Each group appears to give a nod to the others, whilst firmly focusing on their own theory as being correct. This is interesting, as the three theories are by no means mutually exclusive. Certainly, the idea that the Elite are the puppeteers of the Inept Legislators is a good fit.

If the first theory is the accurate one, it would seem that the present pattern of decline would be due to a battle between good and evil, in which the socio-economic structure is an unfortunate casualty of the battle itself. If the battle would only end (with the good guys as the winners), substantial progress would hopefully begin again.

If the second theory is the accurate one, a similar battle exists, but it is between two more-or-less equally-incompetent parties, neither of which seems to be able to sort things out. And again, the socio-economic structure is an unfortunate casualty. (This theory promises less hope than the first.)

If the third theory is correct (whether or not it is coupled with the second theory), we have a very different reality. In the Elite theory, whilst there may be a battle between the political parties, it would matter little to the puppeteers as to which party is victorious. In fact, it would serve their interest if the battle were never-ending.

Just as in the latter days of the Roman Empire, the public, if they are to continue to be controlled, needs a distraction – something to focus on rather than to focus on the real game. To an Elite, the political struggle is not so different from either the gladiators of the first century or the football matches of the twenty-first century. Both politics and sports are tried-and-true distractions from the otherwise central issue of the maximization of social and political rule.

Under the Elite theory, the almost-consistently negative developments that are occurring in First World countries would by no means be an unfortunate casualty; in fact, they would be occurring by design. For a New World Order to exist, based upon statist principles, with the vast majority of humanity as a class of serfs, an End of Progress is not only an acceptable by-product, it is a principal objective.

So, is this, then, merely an academic discussion, a curiosity for the brain to muse over? Not at all. Regardless of our own personal perception of what is causing the present condition, the objective for us all should be to be as open as possible to all interpretations, as the closer we understand the situation, the more likely we are to create an ability to step away from the fray and avoid becoming a casualty of it.

 

New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives through the democratization of power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com for example will be releasing its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

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Online Affiliate Marketers 1 Success Secret

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Online Affiliate Marketers #1 Success Secret

By Karon Thackston – Marketing Words

Online Affiliate Marketers #1 Success Secret

 

Passive Income Strategies

To many people, that statement represents an unattainable dream. Most who are asked if they want passive income answer with an excited “Yes!” to having money flow in day and night with just a little upfront work and an occasional bump to keep the machine well-greased.

Successful online affiliate marketers, bloggers, and others will tell you this is 100% achievable. But how do you get there? Which passive income strategies will set you on the right path?

 

One Versus Many

The #1 secret of most successful online affiliate marketers is not to send one email or share a social post on all their accounts one time. What would happen if Toyota ran one TV ad one time? Even if it were during the Super Bowl, there’s no way they would reach everyone in their audience.

While ads placed in the Super Bowl broadcast are some of the most seen in the country, not everyone watches pro football. I’m a college ball fan, myself. Some people don’t like football (as hard as that is to grasp). For others, the time wasn’t convenient and they didn’t bother to record it.

Other people don’t watch TV at all, or they only have a streaming service that doesn’t include the station broadcasting the Super Bowl. The reasons are endless.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

What must Toyota do if they want to reach every segment of their target audience with their message? Create affiliate marketing campaigns.

 

 

Affiliate Marketing Campaigns vs. One-Off Mentions

What’s your favorite way to receive information? Email? Video? Social media? Blog post? Podcast? When it comes to online affiliate marketing, there are numerous options. Some of your followers will love blog posts but hate social media and video.

What would happen if you did most of your recommendations via video or on social media via Facebook or Instagram Live? A major portion of your audience would miss what you were saying altogether.

That’s where campaigns come into play.

Instead of posting or emailing one time in one place, successful online affiliate marketers are everywhere!

 

Creating an Affiliate Marketing Campaign

This passive income strategy involves choosing several places to promote. Start with these questions:

  1. Which affiliate product do you want to promote?
  2. What avenues do you have at your disposal for reaching your followers/subscribers?
  3. How many can you cover within a reasonable period of time?

For example, if I want to promote a course on passive income, I’ll first see if I have any super-targeted lists/groups I can approach. I have a segment of my email list with people who are interested in passive income, so I’ll definitely use that. There are also people in one of my Facebook groups who want to grow their passive income, so that’s also a go.

Other places I can promote include social profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Then I have the ability to create a short how-to or talking-head video for my YouTube channel. And there’s the Marketing Words Blog where I can add a post.

How many can I cover within a reasonable period of time? All of them! If I use another popular strategy most successful online affiliate marketers use.

 

Add Repurposing to Your Passive Income Strategies

When I begin to create an affiliate marketing campaign, I start with the piece of copy or content that will be the longest and most detailed. That’s usually the blog post.

Why? Because, once I have that written, I can extract bits and pieces and repurpose them. This keeps me from needing to write every element of my campaign from scratch. If I have a 1,000-word post on my blog, I can pull email copy from it, a video script, social posts, and more.

Repurposing your content seriously helps cut down on the work!

Depending on the timeframe for the campaign, you’ll want to stagger your promotions. If you’re doing a quick campaign for a 2-day flash sale (for example), you may choose to push everything out at once.

However, if your promotion will cover a week or longer, choose the timing more carefully. I start and end with the medium that gets me the best results: email. Then I weave everything else based on the order of engagement.

Here’s a sample schedule for a week-long campaign:

Day 1:  Kickoff with an email.

Day 2:  Add a post to my blog. Share on all social sites.

Day 3:  Upload a YouTube video. Depending on the affiliate product, I may direct traffic back to the blog post. Share on all social sites.

Day 4:  Send another email.

Day 5:  Get a discussion going in my Facebook group.

Day 6:  Send another email.

Day 7:  Send a last-call email (or 2). Post last call notices on all social sites.

 

Last-Call Emails: A Critical Element of Your Affiliate Campaign

What’s a last-call email? Pretty much what it sounds like. This email usually gives a summary or wrap-up of what I’ve been talking about all week. Then it mentions that today is the last day to get the offer.

Urgency is a huge persuasion element. Statistics show that reminding followers that an offer is about to expire will drive significantly more sales.

Experian (a credit reporting agency) stated that emails using urgency in the subject line had at least 14% higher click-to-open rates, 59% higher transaction-to-click rates, and twice as high transaction rates compared to their average marketing emails.

I, personally, have repeatedly seen last-call emails pull in as many or more sales than every other medium combined.

In numerous cases, I may have received 50 sales from the first email, blog post, video, and other techniques. Then I would get 50 or more sales just from the last-call email. The magic combination is to send two last-call emails (one in the morning and one a few hours before the expiration time).

Use this same approach on social media to top off your online affiliate marketing efforts.

When products from affiliate campaigns do really well, I add them to a backend funnel or even create a separate funnel just for them.

Does that mean you can never send out just one post or email? Of course, you can! But the real money is in campaigns.

 

New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives through the democratization of power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com for example will be releasing its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

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Web3 Is Supposed to Be Secure What About All These Hacks?

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Web3 Is Supposed to Be Secure. What About All These Hacks?

Web3 promised us a new era of privacy and security, but a series of recent major hacks make all that look like a lie.

By Jeff John Roberts

Hacks remain common in DeFi. 

The promise of Web3 is that we'll get all the stuff we like about the internet, but with more privacy and a blockchain-based architecture to keep our data more secure than before.

Well, that's the theory. In reality, Web3 is becoming a security nightmare as a slew of recent hacks has left some wondering if they should just turn our money and data over to Mark Zuckerberg and call it day.

The latest security disaster involves the play-to-earn game Axie Infinity, which is supposed to be the poster child for what Web3 can be. If you missed it, hackers broke into the Ronin "bridge" between Axie and the Ethereum blockchain and robbed it to the tune of $552 million at the time (now worth $630 million, since ETH is up)—a staggering amount even in this crypto gilded age.

Even more shocking is how the attack took place. As Web3 engineer Molly White explains, the crew behind Axie set up the bridge in such a way that it required only nine trusted validators—meaning that a hacker only needed to compromise five accounts to get the keys to the kingdom. And that's what happened. Even worse, it took six days for the Axie team to notice that $630 million worth of Ethereum had been looted and to tell users, whose money is now gone.

If a security team at a bank or a Web2 company behaved this way, they would be fired and face charges of civil or even criminal negligence. But since it's Web3, Axie leadership has offered only vague mumbles to the effect of what a shame this is. (Axie founder Jeff Zirlin tweeted on Tuesday, "It's a hard day," and two hours later, "This is when we show what we're made of.") As Bloomberg's Matt Levine archly observed, "Nobody cares less about information security than the builders of cryptocurrency projects."

The Axie debacle is hardly a one-off. Two months ago, hackers robbed Wormhole, a popular bridge to the Solana blockchain, to the tune of $320 million. Fortunately for users, the venture capitalists beyond Wormhole, recognizing the terrible optics, decided to backstop the losses even as the engineers responsible all but shrugged their shoulders. Last week, $28 million was drained from Solana stablecoin protocol Cashio. Last August, Poly Network was hacked for over $600 million.

There are numerous other examples of Web3 users being robbed because the platforms they use are full of gaping security holes.

Meanwhile, more than two dozen Web3 companies, including Circle and BlockFi, revealed last month that they had been hit by a Web2-style attack. In that case, hackers compromised one of their marketing vendors and made off with a trove of customer data that is already being used to conduct phishing campaigns and other scams.

At this rate, Web3 risks inheriting the worst security failures of the previous internet but none of the accountability. At least big banks have insurance to make customers whole when they're robbed, while Big Tech firms deploy sophisticated security teams to guard their data. Many leading names in Web3, by contrast, appear focused on getting filthy rich by dumping tokens while not giving a fig about users left to navigate a predatory landscape on their own.

The token gold rush has led many to forget the values that gave rise to crypto in the first place. Those include building secure architecture and remembering Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin's "blockchain trilemma," the notion that it's easy to achieve two of three goals when it comes to decentralization, scale, and security, but very difficult to achieve all three. By the way, Vitalik spoke up about about bridges in January, warning they are simply not as secure as Layer 1 projects like Ethereum or Bitcoin.

And speaking of Bitcoin, I think this is one occasion where the broader Web3 world should consider learning from Bitcoin maximalists. Obnoxious though they may be, the maxis are right that there is nothing more battle-tested and secure than the Bitcoin blockchain—one of the big reasons Satoshi's creation remains the world's most valuable crypto. Web3 founders should take more time to build their projects in a similar fashion rather than hitting the gas in hopes of a quick token payoff. If they don't, Web3 risks losing the little credibility it's built.

This is Roberts on Crypto, a weekend column from Decrypt Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roberts and Decrypt Executive Editor Jeff John Roberts. Sign up for the Decrypt Debrief email newsletter to get it in your inbox every Saturday. And read last weekend's column: Vitalik Is the Crypto Hero We Don't Deserve.

Tim Moseley

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New EU laws set to revolutionize tech markets

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New EU laws set to revolutionize tech markets

by Robert O'Sullivan, Cora Quigley, Jackie Dana, contributors, Namecheap Blog

New EU laws set to revolutionize tech markets

 

EU takes aim at U.S. tech giants with Digital Markets Act

Much has been said in recent years about the dominance of ‘big tech’ firms and the way this unfairly impacts digital markets. But this could all be about to change, with new EU regulations that are aiming at reducing the power of online ‘gatekeeper’ platforms, such as Facebook and Google. The BBC reported that EU officials agreed on the wording of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) last week and, provided further approvals are met, the new legislation could be in effect later this year. 

So which tech giants will be hit and how will it affect them? Any company with a market capitalization that exceeds €75 billion ($82 billion) and also has more than 45 million users would be impacted. This includes the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Meta (formerly Facebook), Alphabet (Google’s parent company), and Booking.com.

The regulations concern interoperability (the extent to which different companies or software applications cooperate), and there will be limits to the use of personal data for the purposes of advertising. The European Commission will also have new powers to place a ban on large mergers.  

Changes to interoperability mean that different messaging services, such as Whatsapp and Telegram, will be forced to allow messages from users of different platforms.

 

 

Another change is that large companies that offer online markets will no longer be able to provide a single option, according to Wired. This means Apple will need to provide alternatives to its App Store for Apple devices, while Android devices will not be limited to Google Play store. When it comes to billing, this is good news for companies like Spotify, which will be able to avoid commission fees of up to 30%.  

The new law heralds a shift in government approaches in dealing with large tech companies. Many U.S. politicians support breaking up big tech, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who recently introduced legislation that would limit the powers of big tech companies. But France’s Digital Affairs Minister Cédric O, who has been working to draft the DMA, goes with “don’t break them up, break them open”. This suggests that the new regulation will usher in a period of increased sharing and competitiveness.  

The DMA has not been well received by large tech firms like Apple, which told Fortune that it will “create unnecessary security vulnerabilities for our users.” And Google said it would “reduce innovation and the choice available to Europeans.” 

As with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in 2018, Europe looks to be leading the world in the regulation of large tech companies. Similar to the GDPR, the Digital Markets Act will impose hefty penalties (up to 20% of global revenues) when the regulations are not met. For such large companies, this could be equal to billions of euros. 

The DMA will also be similar to the GDPR in that its impact will reach further than its EU jurisdiction, and many large companies will be forced to rethink their approaches. The law is intended to bring more fairness and innovation to Europe and the rest of the world, so the upcoming months will show us just how markets and users will take to the restrictions on large companies. 

 

New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives through the democratization of power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com for example will be releasing its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

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Marketing Must-Dos – Make More In Less Time

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Marketing Must-Dos = Make More In Less Time!

by Karon Thackston, owner, Marketing Words

Marketing Must-Dos - Make More In Less Time!

 

Plan Your Offer Funnel Checklist

For decades, the marketing funnel has proven itself to be a steadfast marketing method that repeatedly delivers new opt-ins to your list and dollars to your bank account. But many funnels don’t work as well as they should because steps are missing, the target is off, or something else isn’t quite right. These steps will make sure you’re on track.

“I need to…”

 Identify my most expensive product or service. This is the tip/bottom of my funnel and what all of my activities, products, and services funnel into.

 Set the price for this product or service. It’s a fair price that meets demand and solves a high-level problem and provides a substantial value.

 Outline a tiered product/service offering that gradually increases from free to my previously identified most expensive item. Each item provides value and builds upon itself to offer increasing value and benefit.

 Create a system to brainstorm my free content, the largest portion, and the top of my funnel. This includes all of the content I normally publish to generate awareness and drive traffic. I’ve used:

 Lists

 Mindmaps

 Keyword research

 Google Alerts

 Consumer surveys

 Previously published content

 Competition

 Trends

 Social media

 Other_______________________

 

 Decide on a schedule and content plan for my free content. My content includes:

 

 Blog posts

 Podcast(s)

 Video(s)

 Interview(s)

 Guest blogging

 Social media posts

 Other_________

 

 Make my freebie or free offer (or have it created for me) to introduce or pull people into the next tier of my funnel. The goal of this offer is to capture an email address.

 

 Newsletter

 Course

 Report

 eBook

 Audio

 Video

 Tutorials

 Webinars

 Other_________

 

 Create an introductory product or service that meets my target audience’s basic needs.

 

 eBook

 Guide

 Webinar

 Group Coaching

 Other__________

 

 Identify an introductory price for the product or service that my customers will be able to easily justify and part with.

 Choose a mid-level product or service that meets my target audience’s basic needs.

 

 eBook

 Webinar series

 Home Learning Product

 Individual Coaching

 Other__________

 

 Pick a mid-level price for the product or service that my customers will be able to easily justify and part with.

 Establish a marketing strategy to connect with customers as they move through the funnel to upsell and help them take the next step.

 Use this plan for your offer funnel checklist to guide you as you plan your offer and create a seamless system to introduce prospects to your funnel and move them through seamlessly.

 

Sales Funnel Development Checklist

“I need to…”

 Make a list of all the products and services I offer, including their original and sale price points. Create a system to organize my products/services and relevant prices. Use:

 

 Spreadsheets

 Mind map

 Flowchart

 Notebook

 Other__________

 

 Identify the problem solved, the target audience, and the benefit each product or service provides.

 Create a content plan that is used to drive traffic and enter my prospects into my sales funnel including:

 

 Social media post

 Blog posts

 Guest blog posts

 Free reports/case studies

 Videos

 Interviews

 Other______

 

 Develop an opt-in offer and squeeze page to build my email list. My opt-in offer is a:

 

 Report

 Newsletter

 Video series

 Tutorial

 eBook

 Other_______

 

 Write automated emails and a thank you page so I can follow-up messages to transition them to the first product in my sales funnel. 

 

 Establish a timeline that takes into consideration the most effective time to deliver each message.

 Identify the format, goal, and call to action for each message.

 

 Write and scheduled my email messages using my chosen email marketing platform such as Active Campaign or Aweber.

 Look at my product/service list, I’ve identified opportunities to:

 

 Upsell – When during your sales and marketing process can you offer the next higher-priced product to your customer?

 Cross-sell – When within the body of your sales funnel can you offer complementary or supplementary products to your customer?

 Create special promotions – Where in your sales process and funnel can you introduce special promotions to your customers to help them move through your funnel?

 

 Develop my sales page for each offer. It includes:

 

 Attention-grabbing headline

 Compelling benefit-driven copy

 Proof

 Motivation to act now, for example, a limited number or a limited time offer

 Call to action

 

 Test all elements of the sales funnel process including email links, sales page links, and how each element appears on various browsers. My shopping cart system is integrated into the sales material and emails and everything is working perfectly.

 Implement a system of analytics and evaluation – create systems to collect data about:

 

 Email message click-through rates

 Links and calls to action on sales pages

 Email open rate

 Squeeze page conversions

 Sales and profits for each customer and offer

 Schedule a time each week/month/quarter to review the analytics and make any necessary tweaks or changes to my existing sales funnel.

 

Email Marketing Checklist

Email marketing is one of the most effective and efficient methods to connect with your audience on a consistent and personal level. This checklist will help you create a productive email marketing strategy.

“I need to…”

 Set my goal for my email marketing strategy and each message sent to subscribers. I’m:

 

 Motivating affiliate sales

 Driving traffic to a sales page

 Driving traffic to my blog/website

 Selling/promoting a product

 Other:______________

 

Research and identify the autoresponder technology that will help me create an effective and efficient email marketing system. For example, Active Campaign or Aweber. Create an account and/or set up my account with the service provider, including:

 

 Newsletter/email format

 Image/graphics

 Unsubscribe policy and procedure

 Subscribe policy/procedure. For example, do you require a double opt-in?

 Disclaimers/copyright statement

 Social media connections have been enabled.

 

Establish a content/email schedule that consistently provides value and helps me reach my email marketing goals.

 

 This schedule is one that I can follow through on by writing the content myself and managing the newsletter or by hiring assistance.

 This schedule includes the day(s) and time(s) each email message will be sent.

 

Know who my email list is targeting and I’ve implemented measures to motivate subscriptions. Including: 

 

 Download

 Freebie

 Special offer/promotion

 The promise of fantastic content

 Other__________

 

 Define my email message. Create a list of email topics that engage my subscribers and provide value. I know what my audience wants to know and I’ve created an email content plan to achieve it.

 Implement and use Google Analytics or my email service provider provides the data that I need to evaluate the success of each email I sent. A time has been scheduled on my weekly/monthly calendar to review the analytics and make necessary adjustments to my email marketing campaign and strategy.

 Write attention-grabbing and effective subject lines. Each email message has a test subject line so I can determine what my audience best responds to.

 Include a call to action in each email message sent to subscribers. The call to action clearly tells readers what they should do next and there are compelling reasons to take action now.

 Create engaging content that supports my goals for my email marketing strategy. This content provides value and motivates readers to not only remain subscribers but to also take action.

 Test each email and make sure that:

 

 My links work

 My email isn’t perceived as SPAM and placed in junk email folders

 My email, whether delivered in text or HTML, looks good on all browsers

 My 'From' line is clear and apparent – people know who is sending them an email

 

Use this handy checklist to help you make sure you don’t miss a step when creating your email marketing messages and strategy. Reap the many powerful benefits email marketing has to offer.

 

 

Brand Decisions Checklist

Your brand is the image that people observe, develop, and relate to. It connects you to your customers and prospects. The branding process, including the planning and decision process, are important. These decisions have an impact on your future success. By working through this checklist, you’ll establish a solid brand and a plan to move forward and integrate it into all of your marketing and sales efforts.

“I need to…”

 Identify my business vision and mission. My branding decisions must remain true to my vision and mission in order to provide a consistent and comprehensive image to prospects and customers.

 Identify colors that best represent the brand I want to portray. These colors embody the vision and mission of my business along with the message I wish to convey.

 Choose a brand name that is easy to remember, easy to spell, and can be registered as a domain name.

 Have a solid understanding of who my target audience is and understand what their needs, interests, and goals are. I know how my branding efforts influence my unique target customer. 

 Know what differentiates me from my competition. I know what value I bring to my prospects. I can answer the following questions:

 

 How do you benefit your clients?

 Why do they like you?

 Why do they buy from you?

 

 Create a logo, or hire someone to create a logo, that conveys my brand in a way that is simple and easy to understand. My brand colors are used in the logo and the logo supports my vision and mission.

 Develop a brand purpose – a statement that highlights what I provide the market, how my business is different, and what makes my business distinct. 

 Create a brand personality – a statement or list of characteristics and words that best describe my brand. My brand personality embraces elements of my personality so that I can create a stronger connection with my audience.

 Develop a brand promise – an emotional statement that connects prospects to my brand and my company. My brand promise and message both evoke a positive emotion.

 

Facebook Checklist

Facebook continues to grow amongst most demographics. It’s widely used by many target audiences and can be an effective tool to grow your audience, and ultimately your sales. Use this checklist to make sure you don’t miss a step as you plan and implement your Facebook Marketing Strategy.

“I need to…”

 Choose a Facebook name that is consistent with my business. Customers will be able to easily identify my business Facebook page and profile.

 Create a vanity URL that I can use to promote my Facebook page. My vanity URL, for example, Facebook.com/yourbusinessname, is professional, consistent, and apparent to my customers. (Go to Admin panel, Edit page, and Update info to set your Vanity URL).

 Design and brand my Facebook page with current photos, my logo, and other images that represent my business. My cover photo and header image are professional and relevant to my business. My tagline is present on my Facebook page.

 Create an "About" page that embraces my company brand, voice, and communicates current and relevant information about my business.

 Decide on a goal for my Facebook page and social media marketing activities. I intend to use Facebook to:

 

 Drive traffic to my site

 Provide valuable content

 Promote/sell products

 Build my opt-in list

 Other__________

 

 Establish a message for my Facebook page that supports my goals for Facebook marketing.

 This message supports my brand and is authentic.

 This message is engaging and provides value to my friends and followers. 

 Create a content schedule that provides a steady and consistent flow of valuable content that supports my goals and message.

 Set aside time each day so that I can consistently connect with potential prospects and build my following while building my business and reaching my marketing goals. For example, I’ve set aside fifteen minutes two times each day to share, comment, and post. I’ve scheduled one post for each day of the week.

 Integrate Facebook with my other marketing tactics including:

 

 My blog

 My website

 My email signature

 My email marketing

 Other social media pages

 Other__________

 

 Leverage technology and automate as much of the process as possible. For example, my weekly email newsletter is posted on Facebook.

 Create systems to test and track my Facebook marketing results. I’m testing for:

 

 Content

 Delivery/posting time

 Clicks

 Subscribes

 And measuring my results as they relate to my specific Facebook goals.

 

Facebook can be a useful tool to connect with your prospects and begin to build a community around your business. Create your message, follow-through, and track your results.

 

Twitter/LinkedIn Checklists

Both Twitter and LinkedIn serve different audiences and purposes. However, for the sake of efficiency, I’m combining the checklists – many of the steps are the same or similar.

“I need to…”

 Create my Twitter profile. My profile includes my name, my location, and a short bio

 or statement about me and my business. It also includes a link to my blog or website.

 Customize my Twitter background with my business logo or an image that is relevant to my business.

 Create my LinkedIn Profile page.

 

 It includes a lengthy summary about me and/or my business.

 It includes contact information.

 It includes references/recommendations/endorsements.

 It includes a recent and professional photo

 

 Choose a goal for both my Twitter and LinkedIn social media marketing activities. I intend to use them to:

 

 Drive traffic to my site

 Provide valuable content

 Build my opt-in list

 Establish credibility and authority

 Other__________

 

 Establish a message for my Twitter and LinkedIn activities that supports my goals for each site.

 

 This message supports my brand and is authentic.

 This message is engaging and provides value to my friends and followers.

 

 Develop a content schedule that provides a steady and consistent flow of valuable content that supports my goals and message. This content schedule includes searchable hashtags for Twitter content. For LinkedIn, consider answering questions or joining groups and providing content for a unique and specific audience.

 Set aside time each day so that I can consistently connect with potential prospects and build my following while building my business and reaching my marketing goals. For example, I’ve set aside time during my day/week to post unique and valuable content.

 Integrate Twitter and LinkedIn with my other marketing tactics including:

 

 My blog

 My website

 My email signature

 My email marketing

 Facebook

 Other__________

 

 Leverage technology and automate as much of the process as possible. For example, I’ve scheduled Twitter posts in advance using an autoposter and linked those tweets to my Facebook page.

 Create systems to test and track my Twitter and LinkedIn marketing results. I’m testing for:

 

 Content

 Delivery/posting time

 Clicks

 Subscribes

 And measuring my results as they relate to my specific LinkedIn and Twitter goals.

 

Both Twitter and LinkedIn have unique audiences and can help you build a community, increase awareness and ultimately build your business.

 

Instagram/Pinterest Checklists

Instagram and Pinterest are two of the hottest social platforms today. People love getting insight into your everyday life on Instagram, and sharing all the cool stuff they find on Pinterest. In fact, Pinterest is one of the top sources of referrals to blogs in many niches, so if you’re not leveraging these two social networks, you might just be missing out!

“I need to…”

 Create my Pinterest profile. My profile includes my name, a short bio or statement about me and my business, and a link to my website.

 Customize my Instagram profile with my name and business, appropriate keywords, and a link to my website.

 Create relevant Pinterest “boards” to showcase:

 

 Related products and services

 Fun niche content

 My products and services

 Personal interests

 Useful tips my market can use

 

 Identify appropriate hashtags for Instagram which are:

 

 Related to my niche

 Widely used and searched for by my target audience

 Keyword-rich

 

 Establish a goal for my Instagram and Pinterest activities that supports my overall business development plans, including:

 

 Increasing traffic to my website

 Growing my mailing list

 Increasing sales

 

 Develop a habit of sharing content through both Instagram and Pinterest on a regular basis.

 Schedule time each day so that I can consistently connect with potential prospects and build my following while building my business and reaching my marketing goals. For example, I’ve set aside time during my day/week to post unique and valuable content.

 Integrate my Instagram and Pinterest accounts with:

 

 My blog

 My website

 My email signature

 My email marketing

 Facebook

 Other__________

 

 Test and track engagement and follower growth using the tools available on both Instagram and Pinterest.

 

YouTube Checklist

YouTube is the second largest search engine online today. You very likely use it yourself when looking for help on a project, or just want a fun diversion for a few minutes. But are you using YouTube to grow your business? Here’s how to get the most out of YouTube.

“I need to…”

 Create my YouTube profile. My profile includes my name, a short bio or statement about me and my business, and a link to my website.

 Customize my YouTube header and profile picture to include an image of me and my logo.

 Make relevant YouTube “playlists” to showcase various categories of videos.

 Identify appropriate keywords for YouTube which are:

 

 Related to my niche

 Widely used and searched for by my target audience

 

 Organize a system for optimizing my YouTube videos, including:

 

 Appropriate and keyword-rich naming

 Compelling descriptions which include my website link

 Call to action within each video

 

 Develop a schedule for posting new videos that is both consistent and goal-oriented.

 Schedule time in my calendar to batch record videos so that I don’t get overwhelmed.

 Integrate my YouTube and Google + accounts.

 Share my videos on Facebook, Pinterest, and other social accounts.

 Share my YouTube videos on my blog and in my email marketing.

 

New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives through the democratization of power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com for example will be releasing its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

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The End of the Petrodollar and What It Means for You

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The End of the Petrodollar and What It Means for You

by Nick Giambruno, contributer, International Man Communique

The End of the Petrodollar and What It Means for You

 

Oil for Gold (and Bitcoin)…

The US government reaps an unfathomable amount of power from its racket of printing fake money out of thin air and forcing it on the world. The petrodollar system is a big reason it has gotten away with this scam for so long.

Here’s how it works…

Oil is by far the largest and most strategic commodity market. For the last 50 years, virtually anyone who wanted to import oil needed US dollars to pay for it.

Every country needs oil. And if foreign countries need US dollars to buy oil, they have a compelling reason to hold large dollar reserves.

This creates a huge artificial market for US dollars and forces foreigners to soak up many of the new currency units the Fed creates. Naturally, this gives a tremendous boost to the value of the dollar.

The system has helped create a deeper, more liquid market for the dollar and US Treasuries. It also allows the US government to keep interest rates artificially low, thereby financing enormous deficits it otherwise would be unable to.

In short, the petrodollar system is the bedrock of the US financial system. That's why the US government protects it so fiercely. It needs the system to survive. World leaders who have challenged the petrodollar have ended up dead…

Take Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, for example. Each led a large oil-producing country—Iraq, and Libya, respectively. And both tried to sell their oil for something other than US dollars before US military interventions led to their deaths.

Of course, there were other reasons the US toppled Saddam and Gaddafi. But protecting the petrodollar was a serious consideration, at the very least. When countries like Iraq and Libya challenge the petrodollar system, it's one thing. The US military can dispatch them with ease.

However, it’s a whole other dynamic when Russia and China undermine the petrodollar system… which is happening in a big way right now.

Russia and China are the only countries with sophisticated enough nuclear arsenals to go toe-to-toe with the US up to the top of the military escalation ladder. However, the US military can’t attack Russia and China with impunity because they can match each move up to all-out nuclear war—the very top of the military escalation ladder.

For this reason, the US is deterred from entering into a direct military conflict with Russia and China—even though they are about to strike a fatal blow to the petrodollar system. The top Russian energy official recently made it explicit. He said Russia would accept gold or Bitcoin in return for its oil.

"If they want to buy, let them pay either in hard currency—and this is gold for us… you can also trade Bitcoins."

Here’s the bottom line. The petrodollar system’s demise appears to be imminent. It has enormous geopolitical and financial consequences that most investors don’t understand.

The Real Reason for China and Russia’s Massive Gold Stash

It’s no secret that China and Russia have been stashing away as much gold as they can for many years. China is the world’s largest producer and buyer of gold. Russia is number two.

Today it's clear why China and Russia have had an insatiable demand for gold. They've been waiting for the right moment to pull the rug from beneath the petrodollar system. And now is that moment…

After it invaded Ukraine, the US government kicked Russia out of the dollar system and seized hundreds of billions in dollar reserves of the Russian central bank.

Washington has threatened to do the same to China for years. These threats helped ensure that China cracked down on North Korea, didn't invade Taiwan, and did other things the US wanted.

These threats against China may be a bluff, but if the US government carried them out—as it recently did against Russia—it would be like dropping a financial nuclear bomb on Beijing. Without access to dollars, China would struggle to import oil and engage in international trade. As a result, its economy would come to a grinding halt, an intolerable threat to the Chinese government.

China would rather not depend on an adversary like this. This is one of the main reasons it created an alternative to the petrodollar system. This system will allow anyone in the world to trade oil for gold. It will bypass the US dollar, financial system, and sanctions.

 

 

Here’s how it works…

After years of preparation, the Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) launched a crude oil futures contract denominated in Chinese yuan in 2017. Since then, any oil producer can sell its oil for something besides US dollars… in this case, the Chinese yuan.

There's one big issue, though. Most oil producers don't want to accumulate a large reserve of yuan, and China knows this.

That’s why China has explicitly linked the crude futures contract with the ability to convert yuan into physical gold—without touching China’s official reserves—through gold exchanges in Shanghai (the world’s largest physical gold market) and Hong Kong.

PetroChina and Sinopec, two Chinese oil companies, provide liquidity to the yuan crude futures by being big buyers. So, if any oil producer wants to sell their oil in yuan (and gold indirectly), there will always be a bid.

After years of growth and working out the kinks, the INE yuan oil future contract is now ready for prime time. It comes at the perfect moment. Russia is the world’s largest energy producer. China is the world’s largest energy importer, and Russia is Beijing’s largest oil supplier.

Now that the US has banned Russia from the dollar system, there is an urgent need for a credible system capable of handling hundreds of billions worth of oil sales outside of the US dollar and financial system. The Shanghai International Energy Exchange is that system.

Other countries on Washington's naughty list are enthusiastically signing up. For example, Iran—another major oil producer—accepts yuan as payment. So do Venezuela, Nigeria, and others.

Even Saudi Arabia—the linchpin of the petrodollar system—is flirting in the open with China about selling its oil in yuan. One way or another—and probably soon—the Chinese will find a way to compel the Saudis to accept the yuan.

China is already the world's largest oil importer. Moreover, the amount of oil it imports continues to grow as it fuels an economy of over 1.4 billion people (more than 4x larger than the US).

The sheer size of the Chinese market makes it impossible for Saudi Arabia—and other oil exporters—to ignore China’s demands to pay in yuan indefinitely. The Shanghai International Energy Exchange further sweetens the deal for oil exporters.

Think about it… An oil-producing country has two choices:

Option #1 – The Petrodollar

The dismal financial situation of the US guarantees the dollar will lose significant purchasing power. Plus, there's enormous political risk. Oil producers are exposed to the whims of the US government, which can confiscate their money whenever it wants, as it recently did to Russia.

Option #2 – Shanghai International Energy Exchange

Here, an oil producer can participate in the world’s largest market and try to capture more market share. It can also easily convert and repatriate its proceeds into physical gold, an international form of money with no political risk.

From the perspective of an oil producer, the choice is a no-brainer. Even though most people have not realized it yet, it marks the end of the petrodollar system and a new monetary era.

A lot of oil money—hundreds of billions of dollars and perhaps trillions—that would typically flow through banks in New York in US dollars into US Treasuries will instead flow through Shanghai into yuan and gold. We could also see countries using Bitcoin to pay for oil, as the top Russian energy official recently suggested.

What Happens Next

Ron Paul knows more about the international monetary system than almost anyone alive. He once gave a speech called "The End of Dollar Hegemony," where he pointed out the one thing that would precipitate the US dollar’s collapse.

Here is the relevant part:

"The economic law that honest exchange demands only things of real value as currency cannot be repealed. The chaos that one day will ensue from our experiment with worldwide fiat money will require a return to money of real value. We will know that day is approaching when oil-producing countries demand gold, or its equivalent, for their oil rather than dollars or euros. The sooner the better."

The bottom line is that China, Russia, and other countries will ditch the dollar and use yuan, gold, and potentially Bitcoin to trade oil. It will be the end of the petrodollar system, and it is imminent.

For over 50 years, the petrodollar system has allowed the US government and many Americans to live way beyond their means. The US takes this unique position for granted. But it will soon disappear. There will be a lot of extra dollars floating around suddenly looking for a home now that they are not needed to purchase oil.

As a result, expect inflation to skyrocket and a financial earthquake of historic proportions… One that could alter that direction of the US forever and mark the biggest economic event of our lifetimes.

The sad truth is, most people have no idea how bad things could get, let alone how to prepare…

 

New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives through the democratization of power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com for example will be releasing its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

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Cryptos Drop

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Cryptos Drop As Markets Digest Interest Rate Hike And Forward Guidance

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 3/18/2022 10:29 AM ET

Crypto markets remained subdued early on Friday as investors weighed the impact of the interest rate hikes announced by the Federal Reserve and Bank of England.

Both the central banks raised the rates by quarter percentage each, and on expected lines. However, the Fed's dovish action and a simultaneous hawkish stance has spooked investor sentiment as markets grapple with the prospect of six more rate hikes during the current fiscal. Lack of progress in the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks too dampened investor sentiment.

Markets also assessed the Dollar's rebound after correction in the previous sessions. The Dollar Index is currently at 98.54, having gained substantially from the level of 97.96 on Thursday.

Crypto market capitalization dropped close to a percent to $1.82 trillion. Bitcoin's dominance dipped to 42.3 percent while Ethereum powered to 18.5 percent.

Bitcoin is trading at $40,536.24, down 1.05 percent in the past 24 hours. Search data on Google Trends shows that 'Bitcoin' searches dropped to a six-month low reading of 30 in February, compared to 100 in mid-May, providing insights on behavioral dynamics in the context of a turbulent period in the lead cryptocurrency's history.

Ethereum is trading at $2,806.06, down marginally by 0.17 percent amidst huge expectations regarding the arrival of Ethereum 2.0. Meanwhile, Ethereum Co-founder Joe Lubin has reiterated his expectation that the next era of Ethereum would come within the next 6 months.

All the top 10 cryptocurrencies except 7th ranked Terra (LUNA) have been able to post gains on a weekly basis. Terra is down more than 5 percent on an overnight basis and 13 percent on a weekly basis.

As per data published by stakingrewards.com which tracks 261 yield-bearing assets, staked value of Terra (Luna) is at $26.45 billion, below the $33.02 billion attributed to top-ranked Solana (SOL) and the $26.62 billion on account of Ethereum 2.0. Terra's staked value has dropped from $31.7 billion on March 11 whereas Solana (SOL) bettered its previous level of $32.1 billion and Ethereum 2.0 improved from $25.1 billion.

Apecoin (APE), the new token of the popular NFT project Bored Ape Yacht Club has jumped to the 33rd ranking among all cryptocurrencies and 14th rank among all crypto tokens after prices surged around 100 percent in the past 24 hours. The cumulative gains on the token that was launched on March 17 exceed 1300 percent.

With a circulating supply of 0.28 billion and market capitalization of $4.11 billion, the ERC-20 token which is used within the Bored Ape NFT ecosystem is now ranked as the most valuable cryptocurrency in the Entertainment category. Based on market capitalization, it is also now ranked the second most valuable cryptocurrency in the Collectibles & NFT, Metaverse, Content Creation, Gaming, DAO and Governance categories.

In legal news, Coinbase Global Inc, Coinbase Inc, and Brian Armstrong, the CEO of Coinbase Global have been named defendants in a class action lawsuit that claims that the Nasdaq-listed exchange acted in the capacity of a brokerage for securities without sharing the required risks involved in trading as many as 79 different tokens. According to the Plaintiffs, Coinbase is liable as a brokerage firm and an "actual seller" when exchange takes place, crediting and debiting the parties involved in the transaction in its accounts, rather than facilitating direct exchange between those parties. The plaintiffs are being represented by Connecticut law firm Silver Golub & Teitell.

The previous occasion when the Fed raised interest rates was on 20 December 2018, when after increasing the Fed Funds Rate to 2.50 percent, the Fed promised to stop raising rates. At that time, Bitcoin was trading around $3250 and commanded a market capitalization of $57 billion.

On March 3, 2020, when the Fed Funds rate was reduced by 0.50 percent to 1.25 percent on account of the coronavirus pandemic, Bitcoin had risen to $8,560 while the market cap soared to around $156 billion. When on April 29, 2020, the Fed Funds rate were lowered further to 0.25 percent, Bitcoin had fallen to near $7670 and market cap to $140 billion.

On March 15, 2022, a day before the Fed hiked rates to 0.50 percent, Bitcoin was trading above $39,000, commanding a market cap of $747 billion.

Between March 2020 and March 2022, the Fed's Balance Sheet increased from $4.31 trillion to $8.91 trillion. FOMC's January press release stated that it expected to commence reducing the size of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet after the process of increasing the target range for the federal funds rate had begun. The latest word on this is that the Committee expects to begin reducing its holdings of Treasury securities and agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities at a coming meeting.

The quantitative easing carried out to increase money supply and stimulate economic growth would have found its way to varied asset classes. The Balance Sheet reduction aims to reverse the effect of the liquidity easing, given the profound impact it has had on inflation.

Tracking the Fed's Balance Sheet reduction program could give a sense of how liquidity and asset valuations would pan out in the day's to come. All asset classes would invariably have to take cognizance of this repositioning. Cryptocurrencies are no exception.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

Tim Moseley

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Cryptos Brush Aside Rate Hike Fears

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Cryptos Brush Aside Rate Hike Fears

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 3/16/2022 10:01 AM ET

Cryptocurrencies rallied ahead of the interest rate review announcement by the Federal Reserve due on Wednesday. Market capitalization surged to $1.78 trillion from $1.72 trillion on Tuesday.

Bitcoin is trading at $40,376.25, having gained more than 4 percent in the past 24 hours. BTC has traded between $38,567.64 and $41,465.45 in the past 24 hours.

Ethereum surged by more than 5 percent in the past 24 hours and is currently trading at $2,674.48. The 24-hour trading range has been between $2,526.47 and $2,722.95.

Ethereum's rally assumes significance amidst reports that the Ethereum "Merge" has successfully taken place on the Kiln Testnet. The merging of the Beacon Chain with Kiln has happened on March 15. Ethereum's energy consumption is expected to drop significantly post the transition to the proof of stake consensus mechanism.

23rd ranked Chainlink (Link) which gained 6.50 percent and 25h ranked Uniswap (UNI) which rallied 5.25 percent are the top gainers among the top 25 cryptocurrencies ranked according to overall market capitalization.

Uniswap, the top ranked crypto token in the Decentralized Exchanges category has however lost close to 5 percent on a weekly basis.

7th ranked Terra (LUNA) shed 1.82 percent despite the broad-based rally and is the most prominent loser in the top 25 category. This follows a series of Twitter exchanges which eventually led to Terra's CEO placing a $1 million bet on the price of the coin in a year's time.

38th ranked metaverse crypto The Sandbox (SAND) has surged more than 8 percent in the past 24 hours amidst the announcement that global financial services provider HSBC would acquire a plot of land in The Sandbox metaverse. The virtual land would be developed to engage and connect with sports, esports and gaming enthusiasts. With the partnership, HSBC is also seeking to create innovative brand experiences that are educational, inclusive and accessible for its new and existing customers. The SAND token, which is the second most valuable metaverse token is presently trading at $2.92.

In regulatory developments, reports from Argentina indicate that the country is set to include cryptocurrency firms in the proposed anti-money laundering regulations. Earlier the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) too had mooted a similar move.

The DeFi space witnessed two separate instances of exploits. DeFi protocols Agave and Hundred Finance have reportedly been exploited for $11 million. In another instance, $3 million has apparently evaporated from DeFi space as Deus Finance suffered a malware hack.

Financial markets worldwide are bracing for the Fed's policy review with a strong rally. Stock market indices across the globe surged and crypto prices appeared more or less dovetailed with movements in major stock markets. The pre-emptive relief rally appears to be founded on the strong reading that the current political and economic scenario would not justify a larger hike by the Fed even if the inflationary situation demands it.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

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Shanghai Crypto Pyramid Scheme

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Shanghai Crypto Pyramid Scheme With Over 60,000 Victims Busted

By Adrian Klent – March 16, 2022

Key Takeaways

  • Law enforcement agencies in Shanghai have infiltrated a crypto pyramid scheme.
  • The scheme involved over 60,000 victims and 100 million yuan.
  • Chinese authorities have been increasing their oversight of the illegal industry.

Despite ousting the crypto industry from its borders, China has continued to uncover criminal operations related to crypto. A joint law enforcement operation in Shanghai has led to the crackdown of the city’s first crypto pyramid-scheme case.

10 arrested in connection with 100 million yuan crypto scam

The local news outlet, The Paper, reports that the bust was the result of more than six months of investigations carried out by the Economic Investigation Team of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, together with the Yungpu Public Security Branch.

So far, about 10 persons have been arrested in connection with the dubious scheme which was set up in June 2020. Authorities also claim more than 100 million yuan is involved.

The scammers marketed the scheme to be a “unicorn in the global application field” and “the world’s fastest public chain”, the authorities stated. However, investigations revealed that the elaborately set up company was only running multi-level marketing (MLM) scam, promising participants massive returns for signing up, buying tokens, and referring new participants.

No blockchain or token existed as the scheme was only run through a server, rewarding old signups with funds and new sign-ups.

This has not been the only crypto-related pyramid scheme that Chinese authorities have exposed of late. Last month, Ripple Pay Union, another MLM scam was clamped down. The criminal network claimed to have ties with the American fintech company, Ripple, and its XRP token.

Asides from pyramid schemes, China has also recorded an alarming amount of crypto being used for money laundering and gambling. The crypto that was most commonly involved was found to be USDT according to an analysis by a blockchain forensics firm.

China’s crypto scammers have also involved victims from neighboring countries. Business Standard recounts that victims in Singapore lost over $139 million to Chinese fraudsters last year.

China broadening its crypto crackdown net

China officially declared holding, trading, mining cryptocurrencies illegal last year. Since then it has been going after lawbreakers and putting new regulations in place to ensure there are no loopholes for the crypto industry.

Last week, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate disclosed that it prosecuted 1,262 people for laundering crimes involving crypto. The offenders included crypto exchange executives and online lending platforms.

DISCLAIMER: None Of The Information You Read On ZyCrypto Should Be Regarded As Investment Advice. Cryptocurrencies Are Highly Volatile, Conduct Your Own Research Before Making Any Investment Decisions.

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The original article written by Adrian Klent and posted on ZyCrypto.com.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

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BTC BYTE MINER software – working and Paying 2 Options for you

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