#etf Exchange-traded funds "have come a long way," the advisor says. Here's how to use it in your portfolio: Experts say that whether you're a novice or an experienced investor, exchange-traded funds and ETFs are portfolio options, depending on your goals and risk tolerance.

ETFs, like mutual funds, are shells of individual assets such as stocks and bonds. However, many investors are encouraged to switch because many ETFs offer better tax efficiency and lower expense ratios than mutual funds. "ETFs have come a long way in the last 15 to 20 years," says Barry Glassman, a certified financial planner and founder and president of Glassman Wealth Services in McLean, Virginia.

Investors sold more than $900 billion from mutual funds and invested about $600 billion in ETFs in 2022, according to Morningstar data. The net difference was the largest ever.
As change continues, we spoke to CNBC's FA Council experts to find out how their clients are using ETFs in their portfolios.
Tax saving effect is the “biggest attraction”
When you invest in a brokerage account, capital gains and dividends are taxed annually. This is different from his pre-tax 401(k) account or individual retirement account, where taxes are deferred until you withdraw the money. "The most attractive feature of ETFs is that most do not distribute capital gains at the end of the year," Glassman said.

#BTC Mike Novogratz Sees Binance Settlement as Key to Crypto Stability.

Investor and cryptocurrency advocate Mike Novogratz, the CEO of Galaxy, recently expressed optimism regarding the potential settlement between Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, and U.S. regulators. Amidst reports that the U.S. Justice Department is considering imposing over $4 billion in penalties on Binance to resolve a multi-year investigation, Novogratz sees this as a bullish sign for the industry. His perspective underscores the potential for this settlement to mark a turning point in the cryptocurrency sector, particularly regarding regulatory clarity.

Binance Faces Tough US Regulatory Scrutiny
Binance, which reported revenue of $12 billion in 2022 and $20 billion in 2021, has been the subject of regulatory scrutiny since at least 2018. The focus of the investigation has primarily been on the exchange’s compliance with anti-money laundering regulations. In December 2020, the U.S. Justice Department heightened its inquiry, requesting internal records related to anti-money laundering efforts and communications involving Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. Despite the pressure, Binance has maintained a robust financial performance, even in a challenging market environment.

In addition to the Justice Department’s investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed lawsuit in June against Binance and Zhao, accusing them of circumventing U.S. securities laws. Binance has consistently denied these allegations and remains committed to defending its platform. As noted by Novogratz, the potential settlement could allow Binance to move past these legal hurdles and continue its growth trajectory.

Novogratz Highlights Crypto’s Need for Clarity
The possible settlement between Binance and U.S. regulators is a pivotal moment for the exchange and the broader cryptocurrency industry. A resolution could provide much-needed regulatory clarity, precedenting how other crypto firms might navigate similar challenges.

#btctoday Mike Novogratz Sees Binance Settlement as Key to Crypto Stability.

Investor and cryptocurrency advocate Mike Novogratz, the CEO of Galaxy, recently expressed optimism regarding the potential settlement between Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, and U.S. regulators. Amidst reports that the U.S. Justice Department is considering imposing over $4 billion in penalties on Binance to resolve a multi-year investigation, Novogratz sees this as a bullish sign for the industry. His perspective underscores the potential for this settlement to mark a turning point in the cryptocurrency sector, particularly regarding regulatory clarity.

Binance Faces Tough US Regulatory Scrutiny
Binance, which reported revenue of $12 billion in 2022 and $20 billion in 2021, has been the subject of regulatory scrutiny since at least 2018. The focus of the investigation has primarily been on the exchange’s compliance with anti-money laundering regulations. In December 2020, the U.S. Justice Department heightened its inquiry, requesting internal records related to anti-money laundering efforts and communications involving Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. Despite the pressure, Binance has maintained a robust financial performance, even in a challenging market environment.

In addition to the Justice Department’s investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed lawsuit in June against Binance and Zhao, accusing them of circumventing U.S. securities laws. Binance has consistently denied these allegations and remains committed to defending its platform. As noted by Novogratz, the potential settlement could allow Binance to move past these legal hurdles and continue its growth trajectory.

Novogratz Highlights Crypto’s Need for Clarity
The possible settlement between Binance and U.S. regulators is a pivotal moment for the exchange and the broader cryptocurrency industry. A resolution could provide much-needed regulatory clarity, precedenting how other crypto firms might navigate similar challenges.

#BTC Binance Faces Over $4 Billion Fine in DoJ Settlement Talks.

According to a recent report, the U.S. Justice Department, intensifying its scrutiny of cryptocurrency exchanges, is in talks with Binance Holdings. Consequently, sources reveal that the department proposes over $4 billion in penalties to resolve an investigation that spanned several years. This move marks a significant turn in the U.S. government’s approach to crypto regulation.

Binance Investigation History and Legal Entanglements
Binance has been under investigation since at least 2018. Significantly, the focus has been on its compliance with anti-money laundering regulations. In December 2020, a notable request for internal anti-money laundering records and communications involving Binance founder Changpeng Zhao signaled an escalation in the investigation.

This development follows the June lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused Binance and Zhao of evading U.S. securities laws. However, Binance, maintaining its stance, has denied these allegations and committed to defending its platform.

Corporate Shifts Amidst Regulatory Pressure
As Binance navigates these legal waters, the company has experienced significant internal changes. A wave of executive departures has marked this year, with critical positions like the chief strategy officer and general counsel being vacated. Moreover, the company’s market share has seen a downturn, reflecting the broader challenges the crypto industry faces. These shifts indicate a phase of realignment and adaptation for Binance in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

Potential Outcomes and Industry Impact
The resolution of this case, particularly with a penalty as substantial as $4 billion, could set a precedent in the cryptocurrency sector. It underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to enforcing financial regulations in the digital asset space. Additionally, the potential criminal charges against Zhao focus on the personal accountability of executives in this industry.

#BTC Binance Coin (BNB) Records 90-Day High Amid $4B US Settlement Negotiations.

BNB, the native token of Binance, experienced a 5.5% surge to $264.4 following news of potential settlement talks between Binance Holdings Ltd. and the US Justice Department. This uptick in value, recording a 3 months high, reflects market optimism as Binance potentially moves towards resolving longstanding regulatory challenges.

Binance and the US Justice Department Settlement
Attributable to the surge is the Justice Department’s demand for over $4 billion from Binance in a proposed deal as reported by Coingape. This proposal is part of a comprehensive investigation into alleged money laundering violations, bank fraud, and sanctions breaches. Additionally, there’s a possibility that Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, might face criminal charges in the United States, pending the agreement’s finalization. These negotiations are pivotal in shaping Binance’s regulatory landscape.

Consequently, this news has not only buoyed BNB’s value but also positively impacted Bitcoin, which also saw rise, peaking at $37,768 with a 2.1% gain. Shiliang Tang, co-founder of Arbelos Markets, views this as a bullish development. He notes that it reduces the overarching market uncertainty and avoids immediate, disorderly market impacts. This sentiment is shared broadly across the crypto trading community, signaling a collective sigh of relief.

BNB/USD Technical Analysis
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 64.80, above its signal line, indicates that the bullish momentum in BNB is robust and likely to continue. The rising trade volume, which means high market involvement and trust in the BNB’s upward direction, reinforces this trend. If the RSI rating maintains above its signal line and trading volume increases, it might imply that BNB has further upward potential.

BNB, the native token of Binance, experienced a 5.5% surge to $264.4 following news of potential settlement talks between Binance Holdings Ltd. and the US Justice Department.

#BTC BTC will remain above $32,000 until halving
Bitcoin halving is an event where BTC production and mining rewards are halved every four years or after 210,000 blocks. This mechanism increases the scarcity of an asset, increasing its value. The fourth halving is scheduled to occur in April 2024, and the mining reward for each block will be reduced by 50% to 3,125 BTC.
Historically, BTC has entered bull market mode after every halving. PlanB's market cycle model predicts that the asset is currently in a pre-bull market stage, and unless regulators approve a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) sooner than planned, a "full-fledged" bull market will occur following the halving. It shows that we are on a trajectory towards. PlanB's tweet was in response to a comment that members of the crypto community could buy BTC for $29,000 during Preble Season. BTC is currently trading at around $37,000, according to CoinMarketCap data, and it remains to be seen whether PlanB's predictions are correct or market dynamics will drive the asset price lower.
From $100,000 to $60,000
PlanB's latest forecast is consistent with the scenario he outlined in his April. A former Dutch institutional trader reportedly said that BTC will trade around $60,000 to continue rising after the next halving.
However, this prediction does not match his analysis from February 2022. PlanB said that according to the S2F model and logarithmic regression, BTC will rise to $100,000 by the end of 2023. With BTC price below $40,000, PlanB's could be considered inaccurate after previous failures in 2021 and 2022. The market could be in for a surprise and BTC could rise to unprecedented highs.
Meanwhile, PlanB predicted earlier this year that BTC could reach $1 million by 2025.

#BTC Lessons learned from the Bitcoin standard.
Throughout human history, we have used gold, silver, copper, shells, glass beads, salt, livestock, and even tobacco under certain conditions as money. "There are no right or wrong forms of money, but there are consequences to choosing certain types of money," Seifeden Amos writes.

However, achieving scarcity becomes much more difficult over time. In this context, scarcity refers to the ability of a commodity to maintain its value over time and into the future. The concept of scarcity therefore includes not only the physical resistance of a commodity, but also its ability to maintain its value over time.
Bitcoin's ability to achieve scarcity fundamentally relies on its algorithmic design and the deliberate setting of fixed supply limits. The Bitcoin protocol states that there are only 21 million coins in existence.

In the past, commodities such as gold and silver have shown exemplary good monetary properties.
Basically, healthy money empowers individuals to take a long-term perspective and encourages them to save and invest for future endeavors.
The importance of sound money in promoting investment and entrepreneurship lies in its role as a stable and reliable medium of exchange. This stability allows entrepreneurs to more accurately assess risks and potential returns, allowing them to make informed decisions about their investments.

The book describes it as "decentralized software that enables the transfer of value without relying on third parties and using a currency that is protected from unexpected inflation."
Bitcoin is a technological solution to centuries-old concerns about sound money. By leveraging its properties, Bitcoin has proven to be a transformative force that reshapes the landscape of the financial system in line with the enduring principles of sound money.

#BTC Once the halving begins, Bitcoin will see a parabolic rally "within weeks."
Bitcoin (BTC) has struggled to break above $38,000 recently, but remains comfortably above the $35,000 support zone as the market waits for the next big move.

Notably, part of the prevailing consensus among most market participants is that Bitcoin is poised to rise towards new all-time highs. This optimism is fueled by potential exchange-traded fund (ETF) spot approval and developments surrounding next year's halving.
In this case, noted crypto analyst TradingShot wrote in a November 17 post on TradingView that Bitcoin is set for a parabolic rally within weeks as the digital asset enters the peri-halving phase of the market cycle. He emphasized that preparations may be underway for this. In its analysis, TradingShot compared the current market cycle to the 2018-2021 and 2014-2017 cycles, where a nuanced understanding of Bitcoin's phase emerged.
In this analysis, Bitcoin is in the halving stage, with the fourth halving event expected to occur in April 2024. At this stage, Bitcoin price tends to reach or exceed the 0.786 Fibonacci retracement level, with the 0.382 Fibonacci level acting as important support, barring exceptional circumstances such as the pandemic crash in early 2020. To do.
Bitcoin is currently at the 0.786 Fibonacci level at $50,000. According to the TradingShot model, the cryptocurrency is expected to reach this level soon or within 3-4 months after the next halving. This analysis also highlights the importance of holding support above the .382 Fibonacci level at $27,000.

Analyzing the historical cycle, we see that the 2017 phase peaked at 2.382 Fibonacci extension, while the 2021 cycle he reached 1.618 Fibonacci extension.

IRS 'Raided' by Crypto Investors as Industry Puts Up Fight Against U.S. Tax Proposal.

The Internal Revenue Service's audio-only hearing today will draw views from the crypto industry on what threats the digital assets advocates see embedded in the proposed new tax approach being contemplated for cryptocurrencies.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is gathering the final words now from a crypto sector that is arguing the agency's proposal for a digital-assets taxation regime is an existential threat to investor privacy and to decentralized crypto projects.

After a comment deadline and a public hearing on Monday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's tax arm will have a mountain of more than 120,000 comments to sift through – aided in some instances by the wordsmithing of artificial intelligence tied to such campaigns as the LeCpunK Army's "Treasury Raid."

Monday's hearing – confined to audio – will gather prominent crypto advocates to lay out their arguments on this proposal that maps out how crypto brokers and investors would report transactions to the IRS.

The new taxation system – which won't become final until IRS officials weigh the input, rewrite a final version and approve it – has drawn industry ire that's partially focused on how the proposal would define a "broker" that needs to comply.

A comment from Americans for Tax Reform says the government's scope for brokers is pursuing "a broad definition that includes entities incapable of reporting the applicable transactional information." The group argued that "the IRS wants to rope DeFi into the reporting regime to ensure that other entities do not convert to DeFi entities and circumvent reporting requirements.

Despite the objections, there is a general bright side for a crypto taxation approach in the U.S. Establishing rules and forms for how investors report their gains would eliminate one of the central impediments toward wider interest in cryptocurrencies: uncertainty over how to figure out what one owes in taxes.

Want To Get Into XRP? Crypto Analyst Reveals The Ideal Price.

As the market continues to rally, many begin to feel that they have missed the chance to get in early on their favorite altcoins, including XRP. However, a prominent crypto analyst has provided hope to those still looking to get in on the token as he talks of the possibility of a correction and the ideal price to accumulate the crypto token.

As such, his belief seems to be that the XRP will dip once again. This time, he stated that an ideal time to be a buyer will be if XRP is able to correct to around $0.54.

However, many in the XRP community will be hoping that XRP continues to rally from henceforth, especially considering that it just recently hit the $0.7 price mark. The technical and fundamental analysis surrounding the XRP ecosystem seems to be bullish, with many predicting more upward trend from the $0.7 mark.

In a recent X post, renowned crypto analyst Egrag, who had predicted that a god candle was coming for XRP, mentioned that that XRP just witnessed an “exciting development.” This is because the 21 Exponential Moving Average (EMA) has crossed over the 55 MA. According to him, this “bullish crossover” historically signifies the beginning of “significant price explosions.”

Although the bullish momentum in Ethereum price is waning, Ethereum bulls are still in control.

Ethereum price is still struggling to break above the $1,920 resistance against the US dollar. ETH is trending lower, but the downside may be limited to below $1,850.
Ethereum is still struggling to break out of the $1,920 level. The price is above $1,860 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. On the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken), the pair broke above the bearish trend line connecting with resistance near $1,880. Unless the price closes below the $1,850 support zone, the pair is likely to rise again.

Coinbase Driving Solana Bull Run: Will SOL 2X To $80?

Solana (SOL) is one of the top performers, looking at price action in the weekly chart. According to Kaiko, SOL’s net buying, measured via cumulative volume delta (CVD), has been led by Coinbase, one of the most active cryptocurrency exchanges in the past few trading weeks. To illustrate, since October 18, the blockchain analytics platform notes that 2.2 million SOL have been purchased, an indicator of rising demand as the broader crypto market thaws.

At over 2.2 million SOL purchased, Coinbase leads the wave of buying pressure. However, closely behind, Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by client count, follows. There are around 2 million SOL bought through Binance from October 18, highlighting the role of the exchange in funneling liquidity to SOL. Even so, specific drivers forcing users to opt for Coinbase over Binance couldn’t be laid out.

While at it, there is rising demand for SOL on Kraken. Even so, demand for SOL has been fizzling on Bybit, Upbit, and OKX over the same period. It couldn’t be ascertained why the trajectory on these exchanges has been trending lower. However, what’s clear is that all of these exchanges allow derivatives trading of multiple assets, including SOL.

When writing on November 7, SOL is a top-10 coin by market cap. Perched at seventh in the leaderboard, Solana has flipped Cardano, Dogecoin, and Tron, cementing its position considering the over $7 billion gap between the seventh and eighth projects in the market cap ranking.

Indian authorities have arrested eight more people, including four police officers, in connection with a $300 million cryptocurrency fraud case.

Four of the eight people arrested were police officers. According to the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the victims of this scam include 5,000 government employees and about 1,000 police officers.
The scam, centered around a local cryptocurrency called Corbio Coin (KRO Coin), was discovered in late September, but research suggests it may have started as early as 2018. Through fake websites, scammers sought unsuspecting victims with investment programs like Korvio Coin, but eventually expanded to other cryptocurrencies.
From 2021 to 2023, local police received a total of 56 complaints regarding cryptocurrency fraud. Following these reports, multiple agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, in collaboration with local police teams, launched a comprehensive investigation led by the SIT.
At the end of October, hundreds of searches were carried out, during which approximately 250,000 suspect ID cards were seized. More than 100 people made $240,000 each from the scam, and another 200 made about $120,000 each, according to the investigation. Eighteen people have been arrested so far, but the alleged mastermind of the operation, Subhash Sharma, remains at large. Meanwhile, authorities discovered and seized several properties linked to Sharma. Law enforcement agencies are also investigating the activities of five women who allegedly acted as Sharma's agents or promoters.
Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri told the public that more arrests are expected as the investigation progresses and that authorities will obtain a list of those who invested in the scheme.
This comes after Thai authorities recently cracked down on a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme worth $277 million in cooperation with Binance and US authorities.

Bitcoin has more than doubled this year. Bitcoin's value has more than doubled this year, a surprising recovery after a tumultuous 2022 that had some skeptics predicting the digital asset's demise.
The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization rebounded for the first time in three days, pushing its price back to around $35,000, an almost 18-month high. Bitcoin plummeted 64% last year due to industry scandals and bankruptcies. It reached a record value of about $69,000 at the end of 2021. Expectations that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will allow exchange-traded funds to invest directly in cryptocurrencies after a decade of deliberation have increased, fueling a rally of more than 25% in the past two weeks.
Darius Tabatabai, co-founder of decentralized exchange Vertex Protocol, said: ``Sentiment is clearly bullish, with increasing evidence suggesting that a physical Bitcoin ETF is likely to be listed soon in the US.'' ” he said.
On Monday, a federal appeals court formally certified a victory for Grayscale Investments LLC in its attempt to create a Bitcoin-based ETF. Last week, Bitcoin briefly rose 10% to its highest level since August after a false report that BlackRock had received SEC approval for an ETF. Tabatabai added that the exchange set a new record for short-term liquidations in the past 24 hours and recorded the highest trading volume ever.
"The bulls are almost back, bringing some much-needed optimism to a market that has been pretty bleak for some time now," Tabatabai said.

#BTC -Former crypto day traders say 'no thanks' even as Bitcoin roars back.

Between 2013 and 2017, Peter To claims he made more than $1 million by day-trading Bitcoin during its bull runs.

While the world’s largest cryptocurrency has rallied in recent weeks, more than doubling from levels after last year’s epic collapse that helped blow up the FTX exchange, the 34-year-old professional stock trader in New York says it’s not enough for him to go back.

“Bitcoin is not as volatile or as driven as it was,” To said. “For traders like me who are hunting for inefficiencies in the market, it’s not as interesting. The allure is kind of gone.”

As FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried waits to find out how long he’ll spend in prison following his conviction Thursday on fraud charges, many in the industry believe closure on that ugly episode will mark the end of the industry’s immature, chaotic phase and usher in a more mature era of mainstream acceptance. Yet that could also mean the market will never again provide the type of spectacular growth and once-in-a-lifetime trading opportunities seen in earlier years.

Bitcoin generated sparks last week when it climbed above $35,000. While that’s still far below its all-time high of almost $69,000 in 2021, the market was pumped on optimism that the first exchange-traded fund holding Bitcoin will be approved, with BlackRock Inc. filing an application for one in June. More positive news came as a judge in August overturned a decision to block the conversion of a Bitcoin trust from Grayscale Investments LLC into an ETF.

Retail investors retreated when the industry was rocked a year ago by the collapse of FTX. Bitcoin sank below $16,000 and traders’ returns fell about 40% for 2022, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Crypto isn’t the only market to see a retreat by day traders. The share of retail investors in US equity market volumes plunged 40% at the end of last year from the beginning of 2021, according to the bank, while stocks once buoyed by the retail crowd vastly underperformed the market.

Bankman-Fried's trial exposed crypto fraud but Congress has not been eager to regulate the industry.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — The conviction of former cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried for stealing at least $10 billion from customers and investors is the latest black mark for the cryptocurrency industry, but in Washington, there seems to be little to no interest in pushing through regulation.

When cryptocurrencies collapsed and a number of companies failed last year, Congress considered multiple approaches for how to regulate the industry in the future. However, most of those efforts have gone nowhere, especially in this chaotic year that has been dominated by geopolitical tensions, inflation and the upcoming 2024 election.

Ironically, the failure of Bankman-Fried's FTX and his subsequent arrest late last year may have contributed to the momentum for regulation stalling out. Before FTX imploded, Bankman-Fried spent millions of dollars — illegally taken from his customers it turns out — to influence the discussion around cryptocurrency regulation in Washington and push for action.

Without Congress, federal regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission have stepped in to take their own enforcement actions against the industry, including the filing of lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance, two of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges.

And most recently PayPal received a subpoena from the SEC related to its PayPal USD stablecoin, the company said in a filing with securities regulators Wednesday. “The subpoena requests the production of documents,” the company said. "We are cooperating with the SEC in connection with this request."

Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and John Boozman, R-Ark., proposed last year to hand over the regulatory authority over cryptocurrencies bitcoin and ether to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. Stabenow and Boozman lead the Senate Agriculture Committee, which has authority over the CTFC.

US Treasury sanctions Russian national for helping oligarchs evade sanctions with #crypto, cash, and real estate

Ekaterina Zhdanova was tasked by one oligarch with moving over $100 million in crypto from Russia to the UAE.

#BTC -Crypto Rally Fizzles As ETF Euphoria Fades.

Crypto markets have given up some ground after rallying sharply to start the week on optimism that a spot Bitcoin ETF could be approved sooner rather than later.

Bitcoin is down 3% in the past 24 hours, while ETH trades 3.5% lower at $1,800. The consolidation comes after Bitcoin hit a 17-month high of $35,900 on Nov. 1, just a day after the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency turned 15.

Most of the top 100 digital assets by market capitalization are down over the past day, with the exception of CRO, the token of the Crypto.com exchange; MNT, the network token of an Ethereum Layer 2 backed by ByBit; and Cardano’s ADA token.

$180M In Liquidations
As of 2pm ET, more than $180M of leveraged positions had been liquidated over the previous 24 hours, with traders on both sides of the market being whipsawed by the volatility.