AI-Powered Bitcoin Trading: Developing an Investment Strategy with Artificial Intelligence by Eoghan Leahy

AI-Powered Bitcoin Trading: Developing an Investment Strategy with Artificial Intelligence by Eoghan Leahy

Chapter 1

The Block of Genesis

“The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout 
for banks.”
—Satoshi Nakamoto

The birth of Bitcoin, like many religious movements, is a story for 
the ages. Bitcoin was founded by one mythical individual whose 
impact may last centuries. While there have been many false idols 
and pretenders to the crown, Bitcoin has remained the core of the cryp-

tocurrency movement.
The exact birth date of Bitcoin can be disputed. The initial white-

paper was published on an online cryptographic forum on Halloween 
2008. However, the timestamp of the first block is technically at 18:15:15 
UTC on January 3, 2009, yet the Bitcoin network did not go live until 
January 8.
Satoshi Nakamoto is a pseudonym adopted by Bitcoin’s creator, 
whose real identity has never been publicly revealed. There is something 
magical about a new disruptive financial ecosystem being launched by a 
single unknown operator who has never claimed the wealth they created.

Many books have been written trying to decipher the real identity 
of Satoshi. Exhaustive analysis of the original emails between Satoshi and 
early adopters from the cryptocurrency community reveals some critical 
information.
Studying the email time zones, the writing styles, and comments made 
by counterparties offers clues. Early messages question whether Satoshi 
is even Japanese, as the name would suggest. Some have claimed to be 
Satoshi, and some still do, but to date, no irrefutable proof has been tabled.
While the “who” of Bitcoin is uncertain, the why is much more 
obvious. Encoded by Satoshi in the first-ever Bitcoin transaction was the 
following message:
The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout 
for banks.
The above statement is a reference to the bailout of the global bank-

ing industry during the financial crisis of 2008/2009. The decision by 
governments to socialize the losses of private institutions marked the death 

AI-Powered Bitcoin Trading: Developing an Investment Strategy with Artificial Intelligence by Eoghan Leahy