Bitcoin Plunges As Exchange Mt. Gox Pauses All Withdrawals Due To Technical Issues

  

  Bitcoin Bubble is getting into the new stage of its development and we will see very soon what kind of technical issues are really holding the withdrawals from Mt. Gox. You can easily find a lot of allegations about the very sloppy service at least concerning withdrawals from this exchange on YouTube.
  Meanwhile the crackdown on Bitcoin continues, after China bans Bitcoin from all financial institutions and numerous warnings by the Central Banks, Russia is taking very strong stance against Bitcoin. "Gold 2.0" scam is losing this Financial War in countries, which are accumulating Gold and encouraging its citizens to do the same.

Bitcoins cannot be used in Russia - Prosecutor General’s Office

The US Crackdown On Bitcoin - The End Of The Amazing Bubble

"The only Bubble from 2013 left untouched so far is Bitcoin: after its crash post Chinese ban and coordinated attack by the Central Banks Bitcoin has recovered its grounds and was trading close to $1000 range again. These days, with closing window for currency withdrawals from Bitcoin exchanges in China, DOJ has made its move. The most sexy attribution of Bitcoin - its supposed anonymity, will be used against it. As we have discussed before this anonymity is widely misunderstood and as Silk Road case demonstrates: All Transactions can be Reconstituted As An Evidence.

   China bans Bitcoin and encourages its citizens to accumulate Gold. Central Banks all over the world are warning about the speculation danger related to Bitcoin. FED keeps very suspicious silence about its real stance about the FIAT alternative and after fighting Gold for 100 years it is a given that Bitcoin will be taken out once NSA will complete its job. Now Robert J. Shiller has joined our small crowd and called Bitcoin as it is:

"It is a bubble, there is no question about it.... It's just an amazing example of a bubble," the Business Insider quotes Shiller, talking to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“I’m amazed by how people are so excited about it and I tell my students ‘no, it's not such a great idea’,"the economist said."

TNW:

Bitcoin plunges as exchange Mt. Gox pauses all withdrawals due to technical issues

By Kaylene Hong

Mt. Gox, one of the world’s biggest Bitcoin trading exchanges, has temporarily suspended all Bitcoin withdrawals with immediate effect as the team seeks to resolve technical issues experienced by some users while withdrawing Bitcoin.

The exchange says that the increase in withdrawal traffic was “hindering” its efforts on a technical level, and to “get a better look at the process the system needs to be in a static state.”

In order for our team to resolve the withdrawal issue it is necessary to temporarily pause all withdrawal traffic to obtain a clear technical view of the current processes.

Mt. Gox says withdrawals waiting to be processed will be returned to users’ wallets and can be re-initiated once it has resolved the technical issues. Customers can still use the trading platform as per usual.

The company will provide an update on Monday as it works through the weekend to resolve the problems.

Consequently, the price of Bitcoin has dropped. According to BitcoinWisdom, Bitcoin hit $619 at its lowest point today, from about $783 just 12 hours ago. It has started to rise slowly again — but is still far from the price it recorded yesterday.

Japan-based Mt. Gox is a service that allows Internet users to trade real-world currency for Bitcoin and vice-versa, but it has been beset with growing pains due to its popularity. The company suspended US dollar trading for two weeks in June and July last year to improve its service, and has suffered a number of DDoS attacks in the past — it was even forced to halt trading in April following a major Bitcoin price crash.

Subsequently in August, Mt. Gox announced that its service was running on Akamai, a move that it hoped could bring greater stability to the growing platform."

Gold Catalyst: Dollar survival behind US-China tensions GLD, MUX, TNR.v, GDX

  

  There are no bears left in the equity markets and no bulls are left in Gold. Bitcoin is rising to the sky and FED has found the youth portion secret: the more you print the better it gets.  Only question is left why China, India, Turkey and Thailand are buying record amount of Gold this year? Now we have the answer and it is spelled out by Press TV this time.  Please keep in mind that it is Iran network, but it is exactly the most important part of this message - who is now talking about it.

Gold Manipulation - Kissinger: "Why is it against our interest to have gold in the system?" GLD, MUX, TNR.v, GDX

  "We continue our research about the Gold price suppression: who is doing this manipulation and why. With Bitcoin crossing $1000 and other crypto-currencies going parabolic we can see the hunger for the FIAT alternatives. We think that despite all very positive developments introduced by Bitcoin it is in a Bubble stage now due to its unbelievable vertical rise. Its bust will bring attention back to Gold and Silver and next step will be the introduction of crypto-currency backed by Gold - it will be the real game changer.

  So far China is using all these games with Gold price suppression to accumulate Gold and this year we see the record buying. Announcement of its Gold reserves can bring the very sobering reality to the financial markets. China will not accept Bitcoin for its Treasury redemption and it is not going to increase its reserve holding any more. US Dollar is losing its Reserve Currency of choice status and all recent "flyover games" just confirm U.S. financial vulnerability in line with Sirya and Iran developments."

Peter Schiff: On Taper, China's Bombshell Announcements For Treasuries, Dollar And Gold GLD, MUX, TNR.v, GDX

 "Peter Schiff talks about the bombshell of the year - China has announced the Mother Of All Tapering -  PBOC Says No Longer in China's Interest to Increase Reserves. China is ready to reduce its balance sheet and they do not have to sell any US Treasuries - during the operation Twist they have used the golden opportunity and rolled over the long term treasuries into the shorter maturities. China can just allow US to repay maturing US Treasuries. We do not think here that they will accept Bitcoin. They have made this announcement after the record buying of Gold and some people are estimating that official Gold reserves are much higher than officially recognised today."

Press TV:

Dollar survival behind US-China tensions

The escalation of military tensions between Washington and Beijing in the East China Sea is superficially over China’s unilateral declaration of an air defense zone. But the real reason for Washington’s ire is the recent Chinese announcement that it is planning to reduce its holdings of the US dollar.

That move to offload some of its 3.5 trillion in US dollar reserves combined with China’s increasing global trade in oil based on national currencies presents a mortal threat to the American petrodollar and the entire American economy.

This threat to US viability - already teetering on bankruptcy, record debt and social meltdown - would explain why Washington has responded with such belligerence to China setting up an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) last week extending some 400 miles from its coast into the East China Sea.

Beijing said the zone was aimed at halting intrusive military maneuvers by US spy planes over its territory. The US has been conducting military flights over Chinese territory for decades without giving Beijing the slightest notification.

Back in April 2001, a Chinese fighter pilot was killed when his aircraft collided with a US spy plane. The American crew survived, but the incident sparked a diplomatic furor, with Beijing saying that it illustrated Washington’s unlawful and systematic violation of Chinese sovereignty.

Within days of China’s announcement of its new ADIZ last week, the US sent two B52 bombers into the air space without giving the notification of flight paths required by Beijing.

American allies Japan and South Korea also sent military aircraft in defiance of China. Washington dismissed the Chinese declared zone and asserted that the area was international air space.

A second intrusion of China’s claimed air territory involved US surveillance planes and up to 10 Japanese American-made F-15 fighter jets. On that occasion, Beijing has responded more forcefully by scrambling SU-30 and J-10 warplanes, which tailed the offending foreign aircraft.

Many analysts see the latest tensions as part of the ongoing dispute between China and Japan over the islands known, respectively, as the Diaoyu and Senkaku, located in the East China Sea. Both countries claim ownership. The islands are uninhabited but the surrounding sea is a rich fishing ground and the seabed is believed to contain huge reserves of oil and gas.

By claiming the skies over the islands, China appears to be adding to its territorial rights to the contested islands.

In a provocative warning to Beijing, American defense secretary Chuck Hagel this week reiterated that the decades-old US-Japan military pact covers any infringement by China of Japan’s claim on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.

It is hard to justify Washington and Tokyo’s stance on the issue. The islands are much nearer to China’s mainland (250 miles) compared with Japan’s (600 miles). China claims that the islands were part of its territory for centuries until Japan annexed them in 1895 during its imperialist expansion, which eventually led to an all-out invasion and war of aggression on China.

Also, as Beijing points out, the US and its postwar Japanese ally both have declared their own air defense zones. It is indeed inconceivable that Chinese spy planes and bombers could encroach unannounced on the US West Coast without the Pentagon ordering fierce retaliation.

Furthermore, maps show that the American-backed air defense zone extending from Japan’s southern territory is way beyond any reasonable halfway limit between China and Japan. This American-backed arbitrary imposition on Chinese territorial sovereignty is thus seen as an arrogant convention, set up and maintained by Washington for decades.

The US and its controlled news media are absurdly presenting Beijing’s newly declared air defense zone as China “flexing its muscles and stoking tensions.” And Washington is claiming that it is nobly defending its Japanese and South Korea allies from Chinese expansionism.

However, it is the background move by China to ditch the US dollar that is most likely the real cause for Washington’s militarism towards Beijing. The apparent row over the air and sea territory, which China has sound rights to, is but the pretext for the US to mobilize its military and in effect threaten China with aggression.

In recent years, China has been incrementally moving away from US financial hegemony. This hegemony is predicated on the US dollar being the world reserve currency and, by convention, the standard means of payment for international trade and in particular trade in oil. That arrangement is obsolete given the bankrupt state of the US economy. But it allows the US to continue bingeing on credit.

China - the second biggest economy in the world and a top importer of oil - has or is seeking oil trading arrangements with its major suppliers, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela, which will involve the exchange of national currencies. That development presents a grave threat to the petrodollar and its global reserve status.

The latest move by Beijing on November 20 giving notice that it intends to shift its risky foreign exchange holdings of US Treasury notes for a mixture of other currencies is a harbinger that the
American economy’s days are numbered, as Paul Craig Roberts noted last week.

This is of course China’s lawful right to do so, as are its territorial claims. But, in the imperialist, megalomaniac mindset of Washington, the “threat” to the US economy and indebted way of life is perceived as a tacit act of war. That is why Washington is reacting so furiously and desperately to China’s newly declared air corridor. It is a pretext for the US to clench an iron fist. "

Don Coxe: "The Trend Has Shifted" For Commodities GDX, GDXJ, MUX, TNR.v

    

  Tekoa Da Silva has published very important article about Don Coxe recent market observations. With all unfolding crises among the BRICS currencies funds are not going to the US dollar any more, but to the Euro. The critical differences between European Central Bank policies and FED's expanding balance sheet are in play here.

  His observations about the changing trend in the commodities are extremely important - he is widely followed by the institutional investment community and they can start to reallocate their assets accordingly. The help to the commodities  markets came from the places least expected: China reviving growth and Europe coming out of recession.

  This move will be highly beneficial for our darlings: McEwen Mining and TNR Gold with world class Los Azules copper deposit unlocking its value.

Rick Rule On Gold & Resources: "The Stage Is Set For An Absolutely Dramatic Recovery" TNR.v, MUX

"Then, suddenly, after a few weeks of the water torture without any direction in the market, selected stocks start to move by 10 - 20 percent a day. Sellers are gone and Pros are picking up the pieces for cents on the dollar value - the new Bull market is born. 

  To make this dramatic and pleasant for Survivors picture come true we need just one thing - Pros with the money coming into the market, without them it will always be only the wishful thinking. We can see them coming now."

Gold Breakout: Jim Sinclair - The three entities that called the $1900 in gold are back long. GLD, SLV, GDX, MUX, TNR.v

"Now we have the full A Team calling for the New Bull Leg in Gold. Summer doll drums time out is officially over. Gold was over 1400 intraday and Silver is over 24 now. Junior miners are exploding to the upside with McEwen Mining pushing 3 dollar mark. Survived Juniors will show this Fall what is called the ten baggers again."

Bull Market Thinking:

Don Coxe: "The Trend Has Shifted" For Commodities 

Don Coxe, Chairman of Coxe Advisors LLP, has issued a powerful new weekly review of the global capital markets, entitled, “This Time
When the BRICs Tumble The Euro is the Haven.” 

In this updated conference call, Don spoke to the returning strength of commodities, the true impetus behind J.P. Morgan exiting the metals warehousing business, and what investors should be doing right now in considering commodities.

Beginning at the 13:30 mark, Don noted that:

“Commodities collectively, are a cyclical bet…the CRB bottomed out in June and is up sharply since then…gold bottomed out at that time and it’s moved up to a pretty good level…$1391 doesn’t sound as good as to compared to where it was a year ago, but once again—the trend has shifted.”

“Commodities are demonstrating that there is new strength, and then we see the tremendous change in China’s imports of commodities, a record level of import in July of iron ore. We’ve seen the leap in the price of copper, and one of the things that is helping the commodity situation…is that JP Morgan has been forced by governments, the CFTC, and by the supervisors in Washington, to get out of operating their metals warehouses. The reason they did [so] was not because of ideology, but because so many congressman were being contacted by their constituents, who said ‘We cannot get the metals from the Morgan warehouses—they own these warehouses, we can’t even get aluminum,’ which is the one that has the biggest inventories of all time, [but] they tell us nine-months delay for delivery.”

“So [what] you should be doing now…I believe that you should certainly be increasing your exposure to the good commodity stocks…if you believe in stronger economic growth, and you’re not fooled by the fact that these emerging markets right now are having trouble adjusting.”

“China is once again coming through this pretty unscathed, and that means that you’ve got a great source of stability—and of course you’ve got a new player, which is the oldest of old players, Japan, to the plus side.” 

“So it’s a time where you can have a greater confidence level in demand for basic materials.”

—

Editor’s Note: Don Coxe may be launching a subscription service soon. His conference calls and market comments are currently all free, and available at the website link below. So this is a fantastic opportunity to hear and learn from Don every week—which may not be here for very long. Please take advantage of it.

To learn more about Don Coxe (and to follow his regular work) visit: CoxeAdvisors.com"

Powered By Lithium: Renault Nissan Sells Its 100,000th Electric Car LIT, RM.v, ILC.v, TNR.v

  Electric Cars are not toys any more and they are here to stay. Tesla is beating up Mercedes, BMW and Audi in the luxury sector sales in U.S. this year and Nissan puts more and more electric cars on the roads.

  After initial surge in 2009 of everything related to Lithium the market has cooled off and now there is another interesting opportunity to step up and pick up the best players in the supply chain of strategic commodities for electric revolution.

  Chinese and Japanese companies are in the front row of this new trend and accumulating the stakes in lithium developers with valuable projects in the pipeline.

Will Tesla Model S Bring The Life Back To Lithium Miners?

"For us here the only question left is when. We are following Lithium story for years and have our own ups and downs with the sector. Tesla Model S has taken the question about the viability of electric cars out of the market equation now - they are here to stay. 

  Now the only time is required for general public to realise that shale oil is the dead end and find out why China and Japan are securing the Lithium supply now. Way Of The Future came out with the great article putting Lithium Big Picture together."

International Lithium Corp., President's Update ILC.v, TNR.v

Update August 17th, 2013

ILC Facebook with pictures from Ganfeng Lithium visit to Ireland.

International Lithium Corp., President's Update

Vancouver B.C., 8-8-2013: International Lithium Corp. ("ILC" or the "Company") (ILC: TSX-V) I am pleased to provide a corporate update and summary of the Company's activities for our shareholders. International Lithium Corp. continues to advance its core exploration projects by securing the land tenure at the Mariana brine project in Argentina and working towards monetizing the Blackstairs pegmatite project in Ireland. We have avoided equity financings at low share prices and instead built up our allegiance with strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd.

Highlights

• Total number of fully diluted shares is reduced from 151,964,995 to 83,958,046.
• Strategic Partner, Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. ("GFL" or "Ganfeng Lithium") delivers advanced payment of $250,000 for Blackstairs options
• Ganfeng Lithium provide loan of $1,199,000 to secure the second option payment for the Mariana project option with the original vendors. GFL enter into an agreement to acquire up to 51% of the Mariana project by making an additional payment of $1,090,000 totaling $2,289,000 to secure the full rights to the Mariana project from the original vendors
• Successful exploration programs carried out at the Blackstairs, Ireland and Mavis Lake, Ontario lithium pegmatite projects."

Please Note our Legal Disclaimer on the Blog, including, but Not limited to:

There are NO Qualified Persons among the authors of this blog as it is defined by NI 43-101, we were NOT able to verify and check any provided information in the articles, news releases or on the links embedded on this blog; you must NOT rely in any sense on any of this information in order to make any resource or value calculation, or attribute any particular value or Price Target to any discussed securities.

We Do Not own any content in the third parties' articles, news releases, videos or on the links embedded on this blog; any opinions - including, but not limited to the resource estimations, valuations, target prices and particular recommendations on any securities expressed there - are subject to the disclosure provided by those third parties and are NOT verified, approved or endorsed by the authors of this blog in any way.

Please, do not forget, that we own stocks we are writing about and have position in these companies. We are not providing any investment advice on this blog and there is no solicitation to buy or sell any particular company.

Tesla Model S Quality Testing: 5 Hours Of Indoor Inspection

  Tesla Model S is made to meet the very rigorous standards set up by Elon Musk, his aim is to build not only the best Electric Car on the market, but the Best Car. Tesla Model S has received the highest rating in crash tests and its lithium battery technology is tested now by the million miles driven in the real road conditions. 

  Supply chain for Electric Cars will get more attention from investors with the ongoing success of Tesla electric cars and Lithium will gain its respect again as the strategic commodity for the electric revolution.

International Lithium Corp., President's Update ILC.v, TNR.v

Lithium Drive: Tesla sold 5,150 Model S EVs in Q2, future $35k model will have 200-mile range

"Elon Musk is taking about the most important development for the electric cars mass market: "Looking further down the road, Musk said that the next-gen Tesla vehicle, the long-rumored $35,000 (without any subsidies) EV, should be a compelling option with a 200-mile range." If Tesla can deliver again, we will have the foundation for the real mass market for electric cars. 200-miles range will make EVs viable alternative to the ICE cars."

Will Tesla Model S Bring The Life Back To Lithium Miners?

"For us here the only question left is when. We are following Lithium story for years and have our own ups and downs with the sector. Tesla Model S has taken the question about the viability of electric cars out of the market equation now - they are here to stay. 

  Now the only time is required for general public to realise that shale oil is the dead end and find out why China and Japan are securing the Lithium supply now. Way Of The Future came out with the great article putting Lithium Big Picture together."

  

  Tesla is moving fast into its expansion stage, Model X will bring the new buzz, but the most important will be the next generation model for the mass market.

Lithium Drive: Tesla sold 5,150 Model S EVs in Q2, future $35k model will have 200-mile range

Elon Musk is taking about the most important development for the electric cars mass market: "Looking further down the road, Musk said that the next-gen Tesla vehicle, the long-rumored $35,000 (without any subsidies) EV, should be a compelling option with a 200-mile range." If Tesla can deliver again, we will have the foundation for the real mass market for electric cars. 200-miles range will make EVs viable alternative to the ICE cars.

Will Tesla Model S Bring The Life Back To Lithium Miners?

"For us here the only question left is when. We are following Lithium story for years and have our own ups and downs with the sector. Tesla Model S has taken the question about the viability of electric cars out of the market equation now - they are here to stay. 

  Now the only time is required for general public to realise that shale oil is the dead end and find out why China and Japan are securing the Lithium supply now. Way Of The Future came out with the great article putting Lithium Big Picture together."

PluginCars:

Tesla Aims to Double Model S Production, Maybe Add Driver-Assist Features

By David Herron · August 09, 2013

Tesla Model S

Tesla Motors on Wednesday announced Q2 2013 financial results that showed increased sales and revenues. But the big story, arguably, is that Tesla is rapidly building up its capabilities as an auto manufacturer—in a slow and steady path toward developing a full line of electric cars. In Wednesday's analyst conference call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said production increased from about 400 cars a week, to nearly 500 cars. By the end of 2014, Tesla expects to be able to manufacture as many as 40,000 Model S units per year.

Musk described Tesla’s progress with fixing mistakes in the manufacturing process, including eliminating parts from suppliers that can’t ramp up production. About 1 percent of its suppliers are unable to increase production, which in turn limits Model S production. Engineers are working to redesign the Model S to replace these parts and to work with manufacturers with better capabilities.

According to Tesla, North America Model S demand is about 20,000 cars a year. European demand should be similar, and Tesla plans to set up distribution in China and Japan. In a letter to shareholders, Tesla said it’s planning $150 million in Q3/Q4 2013 capital expenditures—partly to "invest in additional production capacity" and also to purchase land next to its California factory.

Model X on the Way

Tesla Model X, with falcon-wing doors.

The company's medium term focus is on the Model X. Musk said the management team would be shifting priorities this quarter to work on the all-electric SUV. The company plans limited production of the Model X in late 2014, with full-scale production beginning in 2015. Shifting focus to the Model X doesn't mean the S design is frozen. The company still needs to develop a version for China, and a right-hand drive version for Japan.

Tesla engineers and designers are working now to make the Model X better than the "demonstration prototype" vehicle unveiled to the public. Details about those improvements were not revealed.

Tesla also continues to work on its so-called Gen3 car, a more affordable electric model. From Tesla's perspective, "affordable" means a sticker price similar to a BMW 3-series. Musk expressed a high degree of confidence in being able to produce a compelling 200-mile range Gen3 car in the $35,000 price range (before incentives). "There's a huge amount of work, but no miracles required," said Musk.

Yet, Musk discussed the impact of the Gen3 car on global manufacturing capacity for lithium cell production. Producing a few hundred thousand electric cars per year with the 60-kWh packs could exceed global production capacity of the 18650 cells used in Tesla cars. According to Musk, new cell factories will be required, if Tesla succeeds with a high volume electric car.

Radar Expert Needed

Meanwhile, Tesla's online list of job openings now includes this one: "Hardware Engineer – Radar." The job details jive with a theory that Tesla is exploring driver assistance or even autonomous driving features. Competing carmakers have camera and radar systems that detect surrounding traffic, lanes and pedestrians—giving appropriate warnings to the driver to avoid collisions. Some systems include parking-assist features for safe parallel parking, and cameras that can look around corners.

The job opening seeks someone to develop active safety systems using RADAR, LIDAR, ultrasound and cameras. The engineer “will be responsible for translating Tesla's autopilot roadmap into active safety features and into requirements.” The expertise it’s seeking includes RADAR sensing and development, antenna systems, algorithms for sensor signal processing and more. The engineer must have experience developing a RADAR system from scratch."

  

  They are coming, Tesla Model S is delivered in Europe and now with every new electric car turning heads on the streets electric revolution will be taking more and more hearts.

Will Tesla Model S Bring The Life Back To Lithium Miners?

"For us here the only question left is when. We are following Lithium story for years and have our own ups and downs with the sector. Tesla Model S has taken the question about the viability of electric cars out of the market equation now - they are here to stay. 

  Now the only time is required for general public to realise that shale oil is the dead end and find out why China and Japan are securing the Lithium supply now. Way Of The Future came out with the great article putting Lithium Big Picture together."

Green Car Report:

First 2013 Tesla Model S Delivered Outside North America--In Oslo

It's been out in the U.S. for over a year now, but today marked the first delivery for a Telsa Model S on European soil.

The first 2013 Tesla Model S delivered in Europe rolled out of a Tesla Store in Norwegian capital Oslo, according to the Tesla Motors twitter feed.

Norway is Europe's most electric car-friendly country, with strong sales for models like the Nissan Leaf and a proliferation of public charging points around the country's cities.

In addition, electric cars in Norway are exempt from the country's hefty sales taxes, road tax fees, license fees and even parking fees--so buying and owning is even less expensive than in other electric-friendly areas.

The net result is savings of up to $8,200 per car every year--far greater than in most other countries.

Throw in short average commute times--typically under 30 minutes--and Norway is almost perfect for electric vehicles.

The bottom line? We've seen the first Model S roll onto Norway's streets, and it's likely to be the first of many.