US prosecutors alleged that Gannon Ken Van Dyke asked Polymarket to delete his account after profiting from trades tied to the military operation in Venezuela. A US Army soldier involved in the capture of Nicolás Maduro has been charged with making over $400,000 by allegedly betting on the removal of the former Venezuelan president on a prediction market platform. In a statement on Thursday, the US Department of Justice alleged that Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of “Operation Absolute Resolve” that led to the capture of Maduro at a residence in Caracas, Venezuela, in January. Van Dyke allegedly used this information to buy “yes” shares in related Polymarket contracts, including "Maduro out by January 31" and "Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela by January 31,” according to the DOJ. Read more
Bitcoin’s rally above $79,000 may be a sign that the downtrend is ending, but a multi-day candle close above $80,000 would help strengthen the odds of a trend change holding. On Thursday, Bitcoin (BTC) continued to wrestle with the $78,000 level as bulls attempted to cement their newfound hold over the market. The convergence of an improving market structure, institutional investors’ fresh allocation to the spot ETFs and investors’ belief that the Senate will pass the CLARITY Act before the US mid-term elections provided the much-needed narrative catalyst the market had been waiting for. On the institutional side of the market, fresh capital helped place strengthening support in the $68,000 to $70,000 price range. Spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen a $2.03 billion inflow in April; Strategy purchased 34,000 BTC for $2.54 billion; and Morgan Stanley’s newly launched MSBT BTC ETF took in over $153 million in its first two weeks of trading. Read more
MN Trading Capital founder Michael van de Poppe doesn’t expect Bitcoin to drop below $75,000 in the near term, even as Polymarket traders price in a different outcome. Momentum from Bitcoin’s recent rally could spill into the altcoin market, which could see gains of as much as 60% if Bitcoin continues to rise, according to a crypto analyst. “I think this leg has enough room to continue to $86K, and altcoins to run 30-60% from here,” MN Trading Capital founder Michael van de Poppe said on Thursday. A move to $86,000, a level Bitcoin hasn’t seen since Jan. 28, would represent about a 10% increase from its current price of $77,890, according to CoinMarketCap data. Read more