Dramatic Headlines
Clickbait, dramatic headlines, welcome to Cryptocurrency media, all media really. Apologies for this headline but I hope you get the point and where this article is heading. This week roared into life with headlines going supersize. One of the biggest if not the biggest stated that Blackrock, the worlds biggest investment fund with over $6.3 Trillion under management, was looking into Cryptocurrency. Boom, that really is massive news. Something of this magnitude needs to be solidly backed up and I do not feel the way the Blackrock story has been reported is solid enough. This huge news was first put out there by Financial News London. It’s been quickly picked up by CNBC and numerous other media outlets both mainstream and Crypto industry related, all eyes on you www.Fnlondon.com. I really don’t know too much about fnlondon.com but here is the link to the article.
You will have to pay them 40 Great British Pounds to access it as a membership is required.
If true, this will be massive news for Cryptocurrencies. This along with the CBOE, Chicago Board of Options and Exchange getting its ETF, exchange-traded fund application approved could make my tongue in cheek headline a reality. OK probably not 190k but we will shift dramatically upwards. They are both massive pieces of news but with a big difference. The CBOE ETF is factual, it’s happening and August 10th is a day in every one’s calendar or should be. If you’re not familiar with what is happening subscribe here and I will send you an article. The Blackrock headlines, on the other hand, need a closer look. Rumour and inconsistency are present to some degree to what degree we need to find out. Around a 4% increase or $10 Billion pump could justifiably be attributed to the Blackrock story so we should take this seriously.
CNBC, a global media powerhouse, gave us this headline:
Bitcoin extends gains as BlackRock looks into crypto and blockchain.
Here is the link to the article.
To be honest, this story confuses me, the headline is effectively rebuked by the article or am I missing something?
They say:
Bitcoin continued to edge higher on Tuesday, extending gains made on the previous day on news that asset-management giant Blackrock has set up a working group to look into Cryptocurrencies and blockchain, the technology that underpins them.
OK great this supports the headline, they then go on to say:
London’s Financial News first reported the story. Blackrock CEO Larry Fink later confirmed the report in an interview with Reuters. “We are a big student of blockchain,” Fink said. He added, however, he does not see “huge demand for Cryptocurrencies.”
OK so they are confirming he said that Blackrock like Blockchain but not Crypto. Yes that great statement I hear at dinner parties from people who know very little about the space, ‘Blockchain is the future but Bitcoin is rubbish’ aagggrrr. We have another article on that topic.
But back to their headline, Bitcoin is extending gains as Blackrock looks into Crypto’……..and Blockchain. Hang on they quoted CEO Larry Fink as saying he does not see ‘huge demand for Cryptocurrencies’
Oh jeez, Louise I am getting confused are Blackrock into Crypto or not.
They say in reference to Blackrocks Blockchain working group:
The working group is not a new development and has, in fact, existed since 2015, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Really? So what is with the headline? The non-Crypto part of the headline is falling apart now as the Blockchain news is from 2015. Back to the Crypto part as they go on to say:
In an earlier interview with Bloomberg, Fink said: “I don’t believe any client has sought out crypto exposure.”
Fink has previously railed against bitcoin, calling it an “index of money laundering. It’s sounding like Larry Fink is not a fan of Crypto. Maybe the headline should be
Blackrock CEO Larry Fink shits on Crypto as 2015 working group talks about Blockchain recently while at lunch.
OK so I’m setting myself up to get hammered with anything I write or report and that is fair enough. A disclaimer on that. I am not a paid journalist. I do not get paid to write anything. I do not work for a major media brand, hopefully, Hardforking will be one day! I suspect it might. I am a guy who loves Bitcoin, wants to see it succeed and hopes some of you might click on some of my affiliate links so I and keep putting content out there.
When the story made headlines the price of Blackrock stock was going down, Bitcoins price was shooting up. I am in no way saying there is any correlation, it’s just a humorous side note.
Let’s try and put some more serious detail into this Blackrock story as it is a big one.
We have seen how mainstream media covered this story, but what has the Crypto media made of it.
On the 16th of July Coindesk ran the headline.
Report: World’s Biggest Asset Manager BlackRock Exploring Bitcoin
They open up the article by saying
Global investment management company BlackRock is reportedly mulling a move into bitcoin.
According to a Financial News London report on Monday, the New York-based asset manager has now set up a working group to look into ways it can “take advantage” of Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, as well as to monitor what rivals are doing in the space.
Citing sources close to the matter, the article says that the working group is comprised of different divisions from within BlackRock, and may be looking at the possibility of a bitcoin ETF.
Cointelegraph ran a similar headline
Bitcoin Reclaims $6,600, Altcoins Gain up to 9% Today as ETF Giant BlackRock Eyes Crypto
They also referenced the Financial News London.
Here is a link to their coverage
There is that reference to Financial News London report again, I guess I should have a closer look at who they are. Here is the wiki on them. They look legit, that is good to know.
The list goes on as another big player in Crypto media, Bitcoinist.com has a similar headline:
Bitcoin Price Jumps as World’s Biggest ETF Provider BlackRock Looks to Get Involved
So clearly this all comes back to the article at Financial News London lets have a read. Ah damn it, we can’t without paying 40 GBP for a trial membership.
Many of the Crypto media outlets are clearly saying that the Bitcoin price pump is because of Blackrock looking to get into Crypto. They are most likely correct. So how then did this news get missed? It’s an interview with the CEO of Blackrock. He clearly states his position, have a watch. This is the same day that all these articles broke with the huge headlines above.
I need to find the full article from fnlondon.com analyse it and decide if they learnt some huge news from a source that would make me confident enough to boom the headlines that so many others have. I have not been able to find the article in its entirety. If has seen it could you please send it to us. In the interim, I will subscribe to their website as it’s clearly seen as a very reliable source by mainstream media and Crypto media alike.
Contact Blackrock you say. I’ve done this and I will report back as soon as we have a statement from them. The reality is Blackrock CEO Larry Fink has made it pretty clear this week he is not that interested or at least he’s had no interest from his clients. That in no way makes it fact that Blackrock will not get into this space. Crypto is a subject many older people in powerful positions struggle with. Their companies, however, will be full of young bright things who know exactly whats coming and know they should be involved. Hopefully, it is those people that had a quiet word in a wine bar on a sultry London afternoon to people at Fnlondon. In fact, a Blackrock employee, Chief Multi-Asset Strategist and Managing Director Isabelle Mateo’s Y Lago stated earlier this year that “they get asked about Bitcoin every week”.
As I said I am new to this writing stuff and need to build a reputation. I’m not trying to belittle anyone I am just trying to fact check a HUGE story. So please subscribe to my content for free and I will send you the follow-up article.
In summary, headlines are what this article is really all about. This article is trying to make a point that I am not comfortable with how the Blackrock story has been covered. Hence I’m staying on it. I hope Blackrock get involved in Crypto, I think they will at some point. Where this is smoke there is fire. It is also said that you should buy the rumour and sell the news. I think this is still a rumour but maybe Fnlondon has got the scoop on what will be a big story.
My next headline is this, a real one;
Will August 10th be the start of a BITCOIN BULL RUN?
As mentioned earlier it refers to the upcoming ETF decision. I’m researching it thoroughly, so to get that story directly to your inbox in the next few days. It’s a massive moment in Crypto and deserves very close attention and it is fact.
Having been in this space for a while, as an investor and Bitcoin fanatic, I have learnt that headlines really do move markets. I’ve also learnt that finding good reliable content is tough. It’s getting better. I got involved with Hardforking.com as the team felt Crypto content could be better. A couple of years ago it’s was really limited. There were literally a handful of YouTubers operating out of bedrooms, shilling coins. Was seemed like news from crappy handheld video footage filmed at conferences often had prices moving dramatically. To be honest, it was kind of fun, real detective work was involved. Now I get a sense that much of the reporting is keyword rich content to drive traffic to sites. I will do my best to go the extra mile for you and appreciate any community help in researching stories. I am here to help grow the Crypto space and your help with you the communities help we can do that. Don’t see me as a Journalist as such, but as a conversation starter. Maybe I might turn into a Journalist with your help. Watch this space.
Check out our news section for more crypto news.
Ask us a question below
[contact-form-7 id=”3444″ title=”Ask a Question”]