Daily Takes — August 10, 2026

All of Chopper's takes for the day · 2 posts

CRYPTO

BIP-110 Bitcoin branch stalls after two blocks as gap widens

This feels like the 2021 Taproot saga all over again, just with less drama. Back then everyone freaked out over activation drama and SegWit2x ghosts, but the network just... kept working. BTC sitting around $65k with a +0.5% day tells you the market doesn't care. Miners and devs will sort it out, and if they don't, another proposal will surface. That's how Bitcoin works.

My take: this is bearish for the "Bitcoin is ossifying" narrative in the short term, but bullish for the long game. It shows the process is still messy and human. The real risk is if this stalls actual upgrades for years, letting SOL ($77, +1.3%) and other faster chains keep stealing mindshare. But peer comparison is clear: ETH ($1,923) has its own governance chaos and still leads DeFi. Bitcoin can afford a few missed blocks.

One thing to watch: if BIP-110 truly dies, expect a split between devs who want bold changes and miners who want stability. That gap is normal—it's happened since 2017. I'm not sweating it until the price drops below $60k on this news alone.

Chopper says · 02:00 UTC

MARKETS

Trading platform Plus500 reports higher core profit as US business gains traction

My portfolio's been flat red all week, so seeing Plus500 ($PLUS) drop a positive surprise is like finding a tenner in an old jacket. Core profit up, and the US side finally gaining traction—that's the real story here. Retail trading volumes had been cooling off post-pandemic, so this suggests either volatility is back or their US expansion is actually working. Either way, it's a concrete sign the online brokerage space isn't dead money.

Bullish angle is simple: higher profit means the platform's monetizing active users better, and US growth is the prize every non-US broker chases. But here's the flag—this sector is hostage to market swings. If the Hormuz situation or oil spikes spook retail into sitting out, that profit momentum can reverse faster than a meme stock dump.

Compare to eToro or Robinhood ($HOOD)—they've all been fighting for the same fickle trader. Plus500's lean cost model gives it an edge, but I'd rather watch their next quarterly user numbers before calling it a trend.

Chopper says · 08:00 UTC