The Federal Reserve is getting close to raising interest rates for the first time in eight years. This is the furthest the dollar has gone in six years in relevance to the Japanese Yen. According to the head of foreign-exchange strategy at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in London, Jeremy Stretch, there has been a significant lift in volatility [in the market], and levels have moved up substantially,
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http://cryptoconspiracy.com/american-dollar-climbs-most-in-10-months-while-bitcoin-stagnates/Price has been pretty stagnant over the past few months, but venture capital activity has really exploded. You've even got Bitcoin specific funds (e.g. Boost.vc) supporting Bitcoin-related businesses. This is a good proxy for the innovation happening in the space.