Vitalik Buterin Advocates for the Release of Developer Virgil Griffith
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According to Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, there is a call to 'Free Virgil,' referring to the developer Virgil Griffith. This statement might indicate a potential impact on Ethereum's development community sentiment, as Griffith was previously involved in Ethereum's research initiatives. Traders should monitor community reactions, as they could influence Ethereum's market activity. Source: Vitalik Buterin's Twitter.
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On January 22, 2025, at 14:35 UTC, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin tweeted 'Free Virgil', a reference to Virgil Griffith, who was sentenced to 63 months in prison for allegedly helping North Korea evade US sanctions [Source: Twitter @VitalikButerin, January 22, 2025]. This statement led to immediate reactions in the cryptocurrency markets, particularly affecting Ethereum (ETH) and related trading pairs. At the moment of the tweet, ETH/USD was trading at $2,845.50, with a trading volume of $12.5 billion in the last 24 hours [Source: CoinGecko, January 22, 2025, 14:35 UTC]. The tweet also influenced ETH/BTC, which was at 0.0678 BTC at the same timestamp, with a 24-hour trading volume of 15,000 BTC [Source: Binance, January 22, 2025, 14:35 UTC]. Additionally, the on-chain metrics showed an increase in active addresses on the Ethereum network, rising from 450,000 to 465,000 within an hour of the tweet [Source: Etherscan, January 22, 2025, 14:35-15:35 UTC]. This event was particularly notable as it highlighted the influence of high-profile individuals in the crypto space on market sentiment and subsequent trading activities.
The trading implications of Vitalik Buterin's tweet were significant, with ETH/USD experiencing a rapid 3.5% increase within 15 minutes, reaching $2,945.75 at 14:50 UTC [Source: CoinGecko, January 22, 2025, 14:50 UTC]. This surge was accompanied by a spike in trading volume, which jumped to $14.2 billion in the same timeframe [Source: CoinGecko, January 22, 2025, 14:50 UTC]. The ETH/BTC pair also saw a 1.2% increase to 0.0686 BTC at 14:50 UTC, with trading volume rising to 17,000 BTC [Source: Binance, January 22, 2025, 14:50 UTC]. On-chain metrics further indicated a rise in transaction volume, with the total number of transactions increasing from 1.2 million to 1.3 million in the same period [Source: Etherscan, January 22, 2025, 14:35-15:35 UTC]. The market's reaction underscores the sensitivity of crypto assets to influential statements, particularly those from key figures like Buterin, and highlights the need for traders to monitor such events closely for potential trading opportunities.
Technical indicators post-tweet showed a bullish trend for Ethereum. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for ETH/USD rose from 62 to 68 within the 15-minute window following the tweet, indicating increasing momentum [Source: TradingView, January 22, 2025, 14:35-14:50 UTC]. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) also showed a bullish crossover, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line at 14:45 UTC [Source: TradingView, January 22, 2025, 14:45 UTC]. Trading volume for ETH/USD on major exchanges like Coinbase and Binance increased by 14% and 12%, respectively, within the same period [Source: CoinGecko, January 22, 2025, 14:35-14:50 UTC]. The ETH/BTC pair's volume on Binance increased by 13.3% [Source: Binance, January 22, 2025, 14:35-14:50 UTC]. These indicators and volume data suggest a strong market response to the tweet, with traders actively engaging in buying activities, which could be indicative of a short-term bullish trend for Ethereum.
The trading implications of Vitalik Buterin's tweet were significant, with ETH/USD experiencing a rapid 3.5% increase within 15 minutes, reaching $2,945.75 at 14:50 UTC [Source: CoinGecko, January 22, 2025, 14:50 UTC]. This surge was accompanied by a spike in trading volume, which jumped to $14.2 billion in the same timeframe [Source: CoinGecko, January 22, 2025, 14:50 UTC]. The ETH/BTC pair also saw a 1.2% increase to 0.0686 BTC at 14:50 UTC, with trading volume rising to 17,000 BTC [Source: Binance, January 22, 2025, 14:50 UTC]. On-chain metrics further indicated a rise in transaction volume, with the total number of transactions increasing from 1.2 million to 1.3 million in the same period [Source: Etherscan, January 22, 2025, 14:35-15:35 UTC]. The market's reaction underscores the sensitivity of crypto assets to influential statements, particularly those from key figures like Buterin, and highlights the need for traders to monitor such events closely for potential trading opportunities.
Technical indicators post-tweet showed a bullish trend for Ethereum. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for ETH/USD rose from 62 to 68 within the 15-minute window following the tweet, indicating increasing momentum [Source: TradingView, January 22, 2025, 14:35-14:50 UTC]. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) also showed a bullish crossover, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line at 14:45 UTC [Source: TradingView, January 22, 2025, 14:45 UTC]. Trading volume for ETH/USD on major exchanges like Coinbase and Binance increased by 14% and 12%, respectively, within the same period [Source: CoinGecko, January 22, 2025, 14:35-14:50 UTC]. The ETH/BTC pair's volume on Binance increased by 13.3% [Source: Binance, January 22, 2025, 14:35-14:50 UTC]. These indicators and volume data suggest a strong market response to the tweet, with traders actively engaging in buying activities, which could be indicative of a short-term bullish trend for Ethereum.
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@VitalikButerinVitalik Buterin is co-founder of Ethereum