United States Kidnapping Case Involves Bitcoin Ransom Email Demanding Millions of Dollars

On February 4th, blockchain analytics provider LookOnChain reported that the Bitcoin whale address bc1pyd—after steadily accumulating BTC—stopped buying and sold all 5,076 of its holdings (valued at roughly $384 million) over the past 8 hours, incurring an approximate loss of $118 million.

**CoinDesk: WisdomTree Crypto Operations Shift to Core Priority, Near Profitability** Per a Feb. 4 CoinDesk report, Jonathan Steinberg—CEO of $150 billion asset manager WisdomTree—said the firm’s crypto business has moved from early-stage experimentation to a core strategic priority and is near profitability. The asset manager is rapidly expanding its digital asset footprint: its tokenized assets have grown from ~$30 million to ~$750 million, and it’s adding support for more blockchains, including Solana. Steinberg views crypto as a core component of modern financial infrastructure, noting that tokenized funds, the WisdomTree Connect platform, and strategic alignment with compliance-focused tokenization technology are key initiatives driving the firm’s long-term growth.

On February 4th, Cookie DAO announced the launch of its Moltbook Agent Tracking application—accessible at molt.cookie.fun—which monitors: - Moltbook agents’ "mindshare" - Popular posts and news - Top agents, ranked by mindshare and engagement Additionally, molt.cookie.fun provides an API for both agents and developers, and natively integrates Claude Skills.

February 4, trader Eugene Ng Ah Sio shared in his personal channel, saying: "I’m still not interested in the market—everything looks really bad right now. The next price level I’m watching is way lower than current levels. It’s unfortunate things are unfolding this way, but I’ve shifted back to 100% cash and I’m sitting on the sidelines."

On February 4th, per Alternative Data, the cryptocurrency Fear & Greed Index fell to 14—down from 17 yesterday—keeping the market in "extreme fear" territory. NOTE: The index ranges from 0 to 100, with the following components: Volatility (25%), Market Volume (25%), Social Media Hype (15%), Market Surveys (15%), Bitcoin Dominance (10%), and Google Trends Analysis (10%).

On February 4th, Farcaster announced that its OpenClaw agent can now autonomously create a Farcaster account and engage with the protocol via posting, replying, and reacting—no human intervention or validation required. Users only need 1 USDC or ETH to launch the agent, which will then handle all operations autonomously.