Bitcoin

• China worries chill markets, copper slumps (Reuters)
• Peak dot com dot two idiocy: Candy Crush Saga maker King seeks $7.56 bln valuation from IPO (BBG)
• Obama Meeting With Yatsenyuk Raises Stakes in Ukraine (BBG)
• Federal prosecutors open criminal probe of GM recall (Reuters)
• Pimco Cuts Government Debt on Outlook for Fed Buying (BBG)
• Missing Malaysian Jetliner Confuses World That’s Online 24/7 (BBG)
• Mortgage Giants Face Endgame (WSJ)
• Russia Calls U.S. Aid to Ukraine Illegal Amid Standoff (BBG)
• U.S. judge freezes assets of Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange boss (Reuters)
• Ousted Libyan PM flees country after tanker escapes rebel-held port (Reuters)
• Senate-CIA Dispute Erupts Into a Public Brawl (WSJ)

The bankruptcy of the once largest Bitcoin exchange may be history, but now the real drama begins.

The news last week that bitcoin's founder had been sort-of/maybe/not-so-much “found” got ConvergExs's Nick Colas thinking about the importance of creation myths in business and economics. A key part of bitcoin's current appeal is anonymity, so the fact that the digital currency’s inventor is unknown highlights that central value proposition. The tech industry is full of creation myths that resonate with both general social messages and specific business models.  Hewlett and Packard, Jobs and Woz, Page and Brin – all began their businesses in garages, showing that anything is possible with a great idea. However, as Colas details below, the truth behind all these stories is, of course, far more complex than the idealized creation myths we tell about them.

Mt. Gox’s lawyers confirmed 750,000 Bitcoins belonging to the firm’s customers had gone “missing”, along with around 100,000 units that the company owned. Alleged that it came under some 150,000 DDoS attacks per second for several days ahead of its spectacular failure.

• Malaysia Says Stolen Passport User Had No Links to Terror Groups (BBG)
• Malaysia military tracked missing plane to west coast (Reuters)
• Freescale loss in Malaysia tragedy leads to travel policy questions (Reuters)
• Top German body calls for QE blitz to avert deflation trap in Europe (Telegraph)
• Firms Suffer 23% Drop in Asia Fees Amid Search for Cash (BBG)
• Putin Dismisses U.S. Proposal on Ukraine (WSJ)
• Lenovo says China strike an IBM matter, but it won't cut wages (Reuters)
• Congress to Investigate GM Recall (WSJ)
• New hedge funds face life or death battle for funding (FT)
• Muni Bond Costs Hit Investors in Wallet (WSJ)
• BOJ keeps stimulus in place, cuts view on exports in warning sign (Reuters)
• ECB Homes In on Risky Assets as Inspectors Fan Out Across Europe  (BBG)
• Snowden: "The Constitution was violated" (Reuters)

• Index of largest Chinese stocks drops to lowest since February 2009 (BBG)
• Plane-Debris Hunters Seek Suspected Aircraft Window Part (BBG)
• New-Home Building Is Shifting to Apartments (WSJ)
• Forward Guidance Risks Stoking Instability, BIS Says (BBG)
• Alleged Bitcoin Millionaire Nakamoto Gets $28,000 Donations (BBG)
• Mexico kills drug kingpin reported dead years ago (Reuters)
• Tencent to Buy 15% Stake in JD.com to Boost E-Commerce (BBG)
• Bitcoin exchange MtGox 'faced 150,000 hack attacks every second’ (Telegraph)
• Noyer Says Stronger Euro Creates Unwarranted Pressure on Economy (BBG)
• Russian Forces Gain in Ukraine as Separatist Vote Looms (BBG)

With 40% of the portfolio in cash and having returned $4 billion to clients at year-end, Seth Klarman's Baupost Group has "drawn the line in the sand" as they reflect on the diminished opportunities in the so-called "Truman Show" market we see today. In the face of mixed economic data and at a critical inflection point in Federal Reserve policy, Klarman notes, the stock market, heading into 2014, resembles a Rorschach test - "what investors see in the inkblots says considerably more about them than it does about the market." From "born bulls" to "worry genes" and from Bitcoin to flash-mob-speculation, "there is a growing gap between the financial markets and the real economy...and the overall picture is one of growing risk and inadequate potential return almost everywhere one looks... as every 'Truman' under Bernanke’s dome knows the environment is phony."

"After digesting all the hyperbole and the pessimism, my biggest concern is not that Bitcoin will fail, but that it or one of its many virtual currency competitors will one day succeed."

While the volatility of Bitcoin has been considerable, perhaps merely reflective of the early days of a revolution, the fact that the "value experts" at the Fed have pronounced:

• *DUDLEY SAYS BITCOIN 'IS NOT VERY GOOD STORE OF VALUE'
• *DUDLEY SAYS 'U.S. DOLLAR WINS' OVER BITCOIN ACROSS MANY METRICS

..raised an eyebrow or two on our furrowed brows. We thought a look at the following two charts since the inception of Bitcoin and the inception of the Fed would help clarify "value" stability...

• Putin rebuffs Obama as Ukraine crisis escalates (Reuters)
• Behind the $100 Billion Commodity Empire That Few Know (BBG)
• Initial Public Offerings Hit Pace Not Seen in Years (WSJ)
• Russian Parliament Will Back Crimea Split From Ukraine (WSJ)
• Nakamoto Named as Bitcoin Father Denies Involvement, Flees Press (BBG)
• Chaori Can’t Make Payment in China’s First Onshore Default (BBG)
• Zombies Spreading Shows Chaori Default Just Start (BBG)
• Pimco's Gross declares El-Erian is 'trying to undermine me' (Reuters)
• U.S. Fighters Circle Baltics as Putin Fans Fear of Russia (BBG)

Newsweek claims to have identified the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto - long believed to be a pseudonym - was hunted down through searches, conversations, and national archives: "It was only while scouring a database that contained the registration cards of naturalized U.S. citizens that a Satoshi Nakamoto turned up whose profile and background offered a potential match. But it was not until after ordering his records from the National Archives and conducting many more interviews that a cohesive picture began to take shape."  

Some remain skeptical that Newsweek have found him but making such a bold claim is aggressive and comments from Bitcoin lead developer Gavin Anderson suggest this is the real Satoshi.

• Spot the inaccuracies: Stocks rise on Ukraine diplomacy, ECB easing speculation (Reuters)
• Bank of England Extends Record-Low Rates Into a Sixth Year (BBG)
• China's Chaori Solar poised for landmark bond default (Reuters), explained here previously
• EU leaders meet in Brussels to address Ukraine crisis (FT)
• Nine-month-old baby may have been cured of HIV, U.S. scientists say (Reuters)
• China Raises Defense Spending 12.2% for 2014 (WSJ)
• China Stock Index Rises as Developers Jump on Policy Speculation (BBG)
• VTB Cancels New York Forum as U.S. Relations Sour (BBG)
• IBM workers strike in China over terms of Lenovo takeover (FT)
• College Board Redesigns SAT Exam Making Essay Portion Optional (BBG)

Most people, even most people in the C-suite of money center banks (the prime candidates for disintermediation), still have no clue as to what the promises, prospects & risks of Bitcoin are. Well, as UltraCoin launches into beta, these become crystal clear!

• High Stakes Limit Bid to Cow Putin (WSJ)
• Russia says can't control Crimea troops ahead of U.S. talks (Reuters)
• Crimea Crisis Haunted by Ghosts of Bungled World War I Diplomacy (BBG)
• Putin’s Ukraine Gambit Hurts Economy as Allies Lose Billions  (BBG)
• Germany Says It Provided Equipment and Training to Ukraine's Riot Police (WSJ)
• China signals focus on reforms and leaner, cleaner growth (Reuters)
• China Shares in Hong Kong Decline Amid Default Concern (BBG)
• Beijing Signals New Worry on Growth (WSJ)

The last few weeks have been dismally littered with two things. The virtual losses of virtual wealth from virtual currency speculation and the very real losses of very real humans with very real senior financial services positions. Sadly, as NewsWatch reports, tonight sees the two trends converge as the 28-year-old CEO of Singapore-based Bitcoin exchange First Meta has been found dead. The exact reason that may have led to the suicide is not known, and whether the Police have concluded that the cause of death is suicide is also unofficial.