Bitcoin, Libor and George Orwell

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Bitcoin Update: The Journal looks at the woes of Mt. Gox. "The travails of Mt. Gox illustrate the convulsions of the bitcoin market as the first generation of companies trading the virtual currency face growing technical and security challenges." Editor Francesco Guerrera notes, "After weeks marked by technological breakdowns, regulatory issues and general questions over its viability, bitcoin is in the midst of the worst crisis since it was proposed in a white paper in 2008." The Times also weighs in on the digital currency's "significant growing pains." Wall Street Journal, New York Times

3 More Snared in Libor Case: The U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office charged tree former Barclays traders, Peter Johnson, 59, Jonathan Mathew, 32, and Stylianos Contogoulas, 42, with conspiracy to defraud in connection with the London interbank offered rate investigation. Thirteen people have been charged in the case so far. Wall Street Journal, New York Times

Wall Street Journal

"The Bank of Japan surprised the market on Tuesday by doubling incentives designed to spur bank lending, weakening the yen and lifting Tokyo stocks at a time when the nation's economy is showing signs of trouble," the paper reported.

With stocks rallying, "insiders at the six largest U.S. banks sold $26 million of stock in January," the Journal says, "the busiest start to a year since 2007."

Washington Post

There's only so much debt a person can have, so the burden of student loans that millions of Americans face "threatens to undermine the housing recovery's momentum by discouraging, or even blocking, a generation of potential buyers from purchasing their first homes," the Post reports.

"When should shoppers hear about hacks? It's complicated," according to this article.

Marianne Markowitz became acting administrator of the Small Business Administration—and a member of President Obama's cabinet—"without any fanfare," last week, the Postsays. She replaces Jeanne Hulit, who had held the position since September and is the agency's third chief in the last six months. The Senate is vetting the president's nominee for the permanent role: Californian Maria Contreras-Sweet.

Elsewhere ...

Los Angeles Times: It's 1984 all over again. Capital One updated contracts with credit card holders that allows the bank to "contact" card holders "in any manner we choose," including by phone, email, text, fax or "personal visit" which could be at home or work. The Los Angeles Times observes, "The police need a court order to pull off something like that. But Cap One says it has the right to get up close and personal anytime, anywhere."

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