Crypto currency mining

[Regulus]

As you know, I never had any crypto currencies. I invested in gold and silver bullion instead.

With the stock crash going on now, it is interesting to watch the crypto and bullion response.
There is a shop in Oslo which trade in bullion. But it closed yesterday. For how long, I do not know. And I have seen that the shop removes coins for sale when the prices drop - and offer a wide selection of coins when the prices are high.

I find it confusing that the crypto currencies drop along with the stock markets. They were supposed to vault higher in this environment, or did I miss something?

[moltuae]

Originally Posted by Regulus

They were supposed to vault higher in this environment, or did I miss something?

It is strange. It think it's triggered by a knee-jerk reaction of larger ('whale') traders which in turn causes general panic selling.

There's still a great deal of ignorance around cryptocurrencies too. Most people don't understand what they are, nor do they realise that they're decentralised and operate entirely independently of any government control. Stability will only come with mass-adoption and the acceptance that cryptocurrencies are unstoppable.

Still, price crashes like these are good for Bitcoin in the long term. Whenever this happens it brings new investors who were waiting for an opportunity to buy at the 'bottom'.

[ainarssems]

It was very much unexpected (for me at least) and against the logic (my logic anyway) but Andreas Antolopoulos pretty much predicted it. Everybody was selling shares in panic as well and mostly getting back to USD, British pound fell as well.

I missed the short window when BTC was under $4k but I bought some more around $5k mark and it has gone up since. I think it will go higher, a lot higher. With all the government actions throwing money around I think high inflation is inevitable.

I mean this is unprecedented situation in recent history and I do not blame governments for borrowing more and printing more money to throw at the problem, but we have to realise that all of us will have to pay for it eventually. Like it has been said elsewhere if your house is on fire you use water to put it out and worry about water damage later. There is no doubt economy will suffer, BTC may be sound investment but it's still risky.

[Regulus]

Must be great for all of you that bitcoin and other crypto currencies are making new record highs

I just want to add that prices will probably become a lot more volatile because of the hedge funds that entered the market. Hedge funds never hold investment positions for very long. So this is probably a new market dynamic.
Like Gregory Mannarino says, "It's never wrong to take profit" Even if he says it will go multiples higher. Nothing goes up in a straight line.

[moltuae]

Originally Posted by Regulus

Nothing goes up in a straight line.

Indeed. There will be 'corrections'; there always is, but that only really matters if you're 'shorting'. If you're 'long' Bitcoin, just "hodl" on and enjoy the ride. I've been a long investor since the days when a whole Bitcoin cost just a few hundred Dollars.

I'm hopeful of a big price correction, because I want to buy more, but unfortunately I suspect we might revisit $17K at best. A lot has changed since the near-$20K rally 3 years ago. Back then the bull-run was driven almost entirely by speculation and FOMO -- it simply wasn't sustainable. This time around there are a lot of factors driving the price and a lot more investors, not just hedge fund investors but banks and other institutional investors, along with millions more private investors.

The price has been due an upward breakout for some time, with milestone prices being the main psychological barrier holding it back. Given Bitcoin's scarcity, the cost to mine and the increase in demand, I think $20K is cheap. And when you factor in the pandemic, the state of the world economy and the huge amounts of money the banks have been printing lately, I think we can expect a 10 or 20-fold increase in BTC's price in the not-too-distant future.

With negative interest rates looming and the inevitable crash of fiat currencies brought on by hyperinflation, this is only the beginning. I mean, sure there's gold (and other shiny metals), but you can't (easily) carry gold around with you, or use it to make payments globally and instantly. The internet needs Bitcoin and the internet always wins. It has disrupted, devoured and, in some cases, devastated, every industry it has touched (music, movies, telecoms, retail, etc). Now it's coming after the banks, with a product they simply can't compete with.

Edited to add:
Guggenheim Partners CIO Says Bitcoin May Go To $400,000
https://www.investopedia.com/guggenh...400000-5092899

[Regulus]

Originally Posted by moltuae

I mean, sure there's gold (and other shiny metals), but you can't (easily) carry gold around with you, or use it to make payments globally and instantly.

You are spot on with this. Because there is a very high risk of the gold being confiscated at the border when one is travelling. As with "large" amounts of cash.

(pun intended)

[moltuae]

Originally Posted by Regulus

You are spot on with this. Because there is a very high risk of the gold being confiscated at the border when one is travelling. As with "large" amounts of cash.

(pun intended)

Spot. Good one!

That (border-crossing) is one of the interesting things about cryptocurrencies. There's a common misconception that they are something you can actually hold and carry around with you (inc. through borders), especially if you use a mobile 'wallet'. Which is understandable, given that we use such terms as 'wallets' and 'holding'.

Of course you never actually 'hold' cryptocurrencies at all, you merely hold the keys that enable you to claim and move the funds on the blockchain database, which is a distributed ledger controlled by nobody and held by everybody. So, even if you were to cross a border 'carrying' your Bitcoin in mobile wallet, technically you wouldn't be carrying the funds across the border at all. You'd actually just be carrying the keys to the funds, which is akin to carrying the login details to your bank account. The funds are already across the border and accessible from anywhere that has an internet connection.