Bitcoin
Warning: Don’t Buy Bitcoin Before You Know These 5 Risks
The world’s leading digital asset has soared in the last year and a half.
Over the past five years (up to June 26), the price of Bitcoin (BTC 2.86%) soared 454%. There aren’t many assets that have surpassed this one, which currently has a market cap of $1.2 trillion.
There is compelling reasons for investors to buy the world’s leading cryptocurrency at the moment, especially since it is trading at 18% discount to its peak price. But there are risks too.
Regulatory
In the US, the Federal Reserve has a powerful influence over the economy. This is because it can set interest rates and adjust the money supply to stimulate or restrict growth. The central bank essentially controls the currency and affects the country’s finances.
Bitcoin is a direct competitor to the current system, mainly because it is a digital, borderless and decentralized monetary network. There is no single entity in charge and the rate at which new coins are mined cannot be adjusted.
Perhaps the biggest risk to Bitcoin is that the US or the European Union decide to ban it.
Software
Ethereum, CardanoIt is Solana are built with functionality to smart contracts. Bitcoin, on the other hand, has a simpler technical design because its primary use is as a store of value asset.
However, software bugs may be introduced at some point. This could happen, for example, if a majority of the computer operators supporting the blockchain approve a network upgrade that produces errors in the ledger that stores all transactions.
Quantum computing
Continuing on the topic of technical risks, Quantum computing is a technology that could cause problems for Bitcoin. Quantum computers can process complex problems much faster than other types of computers.
The idea is that they could crack Bitcoin’s encryption and expose everyone’s private keys. This would undermine the security of the network, likely causing the price to plummet.
In this scenario, however, there could be even more pressing problems. If quantum computing could hack the Bitcoin network, it might be able to bypass the security that protects financial institutions or governments.
While this is a risk to consider, I’m sure the Bitcoin developer community is thinking about defending against this with new security measures. And for what it’s worth, Bitcoin has never been hacked in its nearly 15-year history.
Speed and scalability
According to bitinfocharts.com, Bitcoin can only process six transactions per second right now. This is significantly slower than a platform like Visawhich can handle 65,000.
Because of its focus on decentralization and security, speed has not been Bitcoin’s strong point. And it may never be able to handle a larger number of transactions.
A key Layer 2 development, known as lightning networkis under development. However, if it doesn’t work out, Bitcoin’s price potential may be limited.
Volatility
While Bitcoin has been a fantastic investment over the past few years, it has been an extremely volatile journey. The digital asset has seen multiple drops of over 50% throughout its history, making it anything but an easy ride for its holders.
It can be argued that Bitcoin is now a more popular financial asset than in the past. There are financial products that support its adoption, such as the new spot exchange-traded funds. And its market capitalization rivals that of some of the most valuable companies in the world.
However, buying and owning Bitcoin long-term can still pose a major psychological hurdle for most. Until volatility is substantially reduced, this may continue to be the case.
Neil Patel and its clients have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions and recommends Bitcoin, Cardano, Ethereum, Solana, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Bitcoin
Big Tech Outperforms Bitcoin (BTC) as Trump Deal Weakens Token
Bitcoin has lost out on an asset rally fueled by positive comments from the Federal Reserve, while a tight US election race casts doubt on whether Donald Trump will get the chance to implement his pro-crypto agenda.
The digital asset fell 2.4% on Wednesday, following a Fed-fueled surge in an index of megacap tech stocks Magnificent Seven by one of the largest margins in 2024. The token retreated further on Thursday, changing hands at $63,750 as of 6:10 a.m. in London.
Bitcoin
‘This is huge’ — Billionaire Mark Cuban issues ‘incredible’ Bitcoin and crypto prediction amid price slump
Bitcoin
Bitcoin
came back with a vengeance this year when former President Donald Trump Cryptocurrency boosts US presidential election in November with ‘revolutionary’ plan.
The price of bitcoin has surged to more than its all-time high in recent months, surpassing $70,000 per bitcoin and triggering a wave of mega-optimistic predictions about the price of bitcointhough it fell again this week, falling below $65,000 after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady.
Now, as Elon Musk suddenly breaks his silence on bitcoin and cryptocurrenciesBillionaire investor Mark Cuban called a California plan to digitize 42 million car titles using blockchain an “incredible step forward” and “huge” for cryptocurrencies.
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Mark Cuban, famous Shark Tank investor and billionaire owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, has… [+] called a cryptocurrency update “amazing” amid bitcoin’s price slump.
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The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has digitized 42 million car titles using blockchain, it was reported by Reuters, through technology company Oxhead Alpha on the Avalanche blockchain and designed to detect fraud and facilitate the securities transfer process.
“This is an incredible development for crypto,” Cuban, best known as an investor on TV’s Shark Tank and owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, posted on X, joking that U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler could sue the state as part of his hostility toward cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
“The reason this is huge for crypto is because people who hold the tokens will have an app with an Avalanche wallet,” Cuban said. “Tens of millions of Californians having and using a crypto wallet in the next five years, or however long it takes, normalizes the use of wallets and crypto.”
John Wu, president of Avalanche developer Ava Labs, told Reuters that California’s DMV is “creating a wallet that you can download on your phone.”
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Bitcoin’s price has rallied this year, triggering a wave of bullish bitcoin price predictions from… [+] people like billionaire Mark Cuban.
Forbes Digital Assets
Last month, Cuban predicted that if the US dollar falls as the global reserve currency, bitcoin could become “a global ‘safe haven’” and a “global currency.” potentially sending the price of bitcoin to a much higher level.
According to Cuban, bitcoin could become what its most ardent supporters “envision” — a means “of protecting our economies… This is already happening in countries facing hyperinflation.”
The price of bitcoin has skyrocketed over the past year, largely due to the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, leading a bitcoin attack on Wall Street.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin (BTC) miner Riot Platforms (RIOT)’s second-quarter loss widens to $84.4 million as costs rise
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Bitcoin
Why Trump Wants the US Government to Have a “National Stockpile” of Bitcoin
At a national bitcoin conference in Nashville, Donald Trump finally laid out some of his crypto policy proposals, including a long-awaited part of his plan — building a strategic bitcoin reserve. CNN’s Jon Sarlin explains what it is and why the crypto industry wants it.
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