The self-proclaimed "world's largest bitcoin exchange" is basically saying it is to hard to take a collection of their own addresses, count the amount of BTC constituted by all unspent outputs in that wallet, and compare it with the expected balance.
The question is - how many other exchanges have been robbed blind and aren't aware of it? This exchange has lost 750,000 BTC. My God, you'd think that would be like trying to drive a dumptruck full of nitroglycerin through an obstacle course. Yet somehow, this was pulled off. Gox 'n' company
might be unusually idiotic, but don't bet on it. Perhaps there is more to this story than meets the eye. What if TX malleability wasn't really to blame? Another vulnerability perhaps? Are other exchanges being milked dry before our very eyes? Who knows.
This exchange lost 750 000btc
How can you know?
Gox is still trading and went not below 100$.
Sorry to say but Gox is not trading - it is completely out.
That said the recent document purporting to be a "crisis plan", which tells of the 750,000 BTC loss, is very clearly fake (which doesn't leave us any the wiser unfortunately).
it is "ponzi' in the sense that due to NO oversight of exchanges GOX like the big banks who we're unregulated...'dipped into the customer $$$" or borrowed money towards
so called future gains....that 6% gox says was lost to theft very likely was gox using that 6% at least at the beginning of its start as an exchange....and now they don't have enough bitcoins to refund and no way could they refund in $$$....thus Gox saying it was 'theft" (most likely insider from them)
But imho the reason they pulled the plug now rather then drag this out further (which imho they could have) they got confirmation according to some articles I read that the Japanese do not consider bitcoin legit $$$ thus there will be no investigation (go ahead google search it) .ie they don't want to get into this the japanase regulators
so ...with no enforcement on the horizon ...ie no theft....Gox folds up the tent and walks ..with probably all the coin
imho he will give SOME percentage back or never be able to walk in public again ....but he will take out what is needed to pay his debts...pad his nest and partial out some of the rest...and walk away ahead
well played gox ..well played
if no way to go to jail because the regulators won't pursue you it is a clean get away!
my 2c worth
Searing (again speculation on my part..but from what I see he could probably take it all w/o any consequences at this point)