Stephen Alpher

Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk’s disclosure threshold of $1,000.

Stephen Alpher

Latest from Stephen Alpher


Finance

Semler Scientific Becomes 14th-Largest Public Bitcoin Holder After $25M BTC Buy

The company from July 3 to July 16 added 210 bitcoin, bringing its total stack to 4,846 coins.

AI trading screens. (TheDigitalArtist/Pixabay)

Markets

XRP Nears Record High of $3.40 as Futures Open Interest Hits $10B

The token has climbed more than 10% over the past 24 hours and 34% over the past seven days.

(Minku Kang/Unsplash+)

Markets

Bitcoin Consolidates Below Record High, With Everyone From Shrimps to Whales Accumulating

On-chain data shows almost every wallet group is stacking BTC, with smaller holders alone now absorbing more than the monthly issuance.

Trend Accumulation Score by Cohort (Glassnode)

Policy

DPRK-Linked Hacks Drive Potential Record Year for Crypto Thefts, Chainalysis Says

Hackers have already stolen $2.17 billion from crypto companies this year, more than was swindled throughout the entirety of 2024 — and it’s only July.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un (Getty Images/Contributor)

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Tech

Coinbase Wallet Becomes ‘Base App’ in Major Rebrand

The company is introducing a suite of consumer and developer tools that expands the Base App's scope far beyond its origins as an Ethereum layer-2 blockchain.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong (CoinDesk archives)

Markets

Bitcoin's 4-Year Cycles May Be Over as the Asset Matures, K33 Analysts Say

Macroeconomic forces matter more now for BTC than the quadrennial mining reward halvings.

Credit: Shutterstock

Markets

CME Exploring 24/7 Crypto Trading Expansion, Says Memecoin Products Are Off the Table

Though recently expanding into Solana and XRP futures the derivatives exchange giant is drawing the line at memecoins, citing lack of real-world use.

CME Group Headquarters (CoinDesk Archives)

Finance

Trump-Linked WLFI Token Clears Vote to Become Tradable

Holders voted 99% in favor of enabling transfers and exchange listings for WLFI, which has been locked-up since last year's $590 million presale.

Justin Sun of TRON and Zak Folkman of World Liberty Financial speak at Consensus Hong Kong 2025 by CoinDesk (CoinDesk/Personae Digital)

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Finance

Bank of America Joins Stablecoin Rush as CEO Moynihan Says Work Already Underway

Speaking on the second quarter earnings call, Brian Moynihan said the bank plans to act when the time is right.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan on Fox Business in March. (Getty Images)

Markets

ETH Surges 10% to Year-to-Date Gain as Bitcoin Retakes $120K

It's six month high for ETH thanks to tailwinds from corporate ether treasury strategies and ETF inflows.

Ether (ETH) price on July 15 (CoinDesk)