Tag: crypto

Crypto Quarterly is Back!

Keeping up with developments in Bitcoin and the world of cryptocurrency is challenging, but not impossible. Especially with AI assistants (like Grok or Chat GPT) answers can be attained – literally instantly – to basic and complex questions. Having dedicated crypto experts and research teams on hand is helpful as well!* “Keeping up with crypto” is a relative term. Merely dipping a toe into the water to learn more is a form of keeping up with this evolving space, so go for it.

Here is a term that helps define how different the various cryptocurrencies are from one another: ecosystems. Cryptocurrency is not a single, big chunk of one “thing”. Rather, there are multiple ecosystems and thousands of interconnected cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is the best-known cryptocurrency, most dominant and most widely accepted for making purchases at this time. Ethereum is another well-known cryptocurrency. Solana is another. Each operates in its own ecosystem and has extremely different qualities.

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Bitcoin 2024

This edition of TGIF 2 Minutes will make a brief attempt at summarizing Bitcoin’s recent meteoric rise to around $95,000. There is still a huge segment of the population who might ask, “$95,000 for what?”. At the same time, Bitcoin has increasingly become an accepted form of currency, although in limited and illiquid ways.

One of the more obvious and possibly over-done in the short-term reasons for Bitcoin’s price rise has been the run-up to and aftermath of the recent US presidential election. Investors seem to expect in the near future a more friendly regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies overall.

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Crypto Quarterly 2Q 2023

On balance, the news regarding cryptocurrency is still fairly skewed to the negative. But crypto remains alive, although widely a mystery to most of the population (including yours truly). Reporting on crypto is thus difficult – but even a small amount of information can be worthwhile.

One of the key events of the tragic crypto downturn remains the November 2022 fall of FTX and arrest of its founder. Interest rate increases also gradually revealed weaknesses in various cryptocurrency exchanges and functionality.

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Crypto Quarterly – 1Q 2023

It turns out that summarizing the current status of cryptocurrency following the past several months is much more complicated than it looks. If one event were highlighted, it would be the November 2022 fall of FTX and arrest of its founder who was “popularly” referred to by his three initials, SBF.

As early as February 2022 during the “Crypto Bowl”, or Superbowl LVI, there were clues of cryptocurrency irrational exuberance. Since then, major cracks have revealed themselves in the crypto industry and beyond.

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Crypto Quarterly 1Q ’23 – Stay Tuned

TGIF 2 Minutes – Crypto Quarterly for 1st Quarter 2023 will take a bit longer than previous editions. For perspective, consider several details from the December 2022 edition which concluded that cryptocurrency is not dead but on serious life support:

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TGIF 2 Minutes – Crypto Quarterly, vol. 4

Crypto is, of course, not dead. But the world of cryptocurrency could be considered seriously injured. Here are a few stats from 2022:

  • Bitcoin, on fire in 2021, has seen its price drop over 75% from its record high. Since only May 2022, Bitcoin’s value is down by half.
  • Coinbase, the first publicly listed and largest US cryptocurrency exchange, has seen its stock drop 80% from the time of its listing.

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Crypto Quarterly – Vol. 3, Oct 2022

In this issue of TGIF 2 Minutes – Crypto Quarterly, a less rosy update with the bright spot being that fees to trade crypto have gone to “free” in some cases. Binance, a world leader in Bitcoin trading volume, introduced zero-fee trading back in June. (Note that as recently as July 2022, the “CEO” of Binance still says there is no headquarters for the company, as it is “decentralized”.)

Value-wise, in a year that has been unkind to stocks AND bonds, Crypto stands out as an even bigger loser relative to traditional asset classes – by over double in a number of cases. Take for example the price of Bitcoin which started the year at approximately $46,310 as measured in US Dollars. Most recent prices of Bitcoin are around $20,098, or down over 55%. Coinbase, not a cryptocurrency but a crypto trading marketplace (among other technology functions), went public in April 2021 and is down around 78% since then. Compare these crypto-related price declines to the painful year-to-date performance of -21% in the S&P 500, -29% in the Nasdaq and -21.5% in the Russell 2000 which tracks small company stocks.

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Reviewing Crypto Quarterly – Vol. 2

Today’s edition is a review of Crypto from early April 2022. TGIF 2 Minutes will return with new content in early July! Read on for:

  • A high-level update & follow-up on cryptocurrencies
  • Brief comments on Inflation & 1st quarter 2022

Crypto Update

Continuing with the whirlwind of interest generated by “To Crypto Or Not To Crypto” and “Crypto Superbowl” there is more to say including highlighting the recent 36% decline in Bitcoin since November 2021. There is broad evidence that high-profile, fiduciary financial advisers are hesitant – for good reason – to include cryptocurrency across the board in client portfolios. At the same time, a good number of high-profile, responsible, fiduciary financial advisers are including cryptocurrency in some – emphasis, “some” – client portfolios, depending on the client’s goals and risk tolerance.**

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Crypto Quarterly (& More) – vol. 2

Today’s TGIF 2 Minutes features:

  • A high-level update & follow-up on cryptocurrencies
  • Brief comments on Inflation & 1st quarter 2022

Crypto Update

Continuing with the whirlwind of interest generated by “To Crypto Or Not To Crypto” and “Crypto Superbowl” there is more to say including highlighting the recent 36% decline in Bitcoin since November 2021. There is broad evidence that high-profile, fiduciary financial advisers are hesitant – for good reason – to include cryptocurrency across the board in client portfolios. At the same time, a good number of high-profile, responsible, fiduciary financial advisers are including cryptocurrency in some – emphasis, “some” – client portfolios, depending on the client’s goals and risk tolerance.**

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Crypto Quarterly – Vol. 1, Jan 2022

With the whirlwind of interest generated by December’s edition of TGIF 2 Minutes covering “To Crypto Or Not To Crypto”, demand exists for at least a quarterly dedicated to the topic of cryptocurrency. For those who are already crypto experts, this volume of “Crypto Quarterly” may be elementary but a great number of experienced investors admitted limited knowledge and appreciated the information.

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