Bitcoin Falls To End Volatile Week

Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market overall are heading into the weekend down after a volatile week. Bitcoin will end the week down roughly -23% as I write this article after China released a statement stating that it is necessary to "crackdown on Bitcoin mining and trading behavior, and resolutely prevent the transmission of individual risks to the social field."

China's tough talk comes just a day after U.S. officials pledged to get tough on those using Bitcoin to conduct "illegal activity broadly including tax evasion." The Treasury Department said it would require reporting on cryptocurrency transfers of more than $10,000, just as with cash. Continue reading "Bitcoin Falls To End Volatile Week"

Buy Ethereum Today!

If Bitcoin is the big boy on the block, Ethereum (ETH) is the second biggest. But unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum has many advantages over BTC that make it extremely attractive. In fact, every investor should consider buying a little ETH today.

What Is Ethereum?

While Bitcoin is a great store of value – and certainly worthy of a portion of your portfolio – it can’t do much more than transfer value. You can pay for stuff using BTC, and you can save it for a rainy day, but you can’t really do much more. That’s not a knock on BTC anymore than it would be a knock on gold or the dollar.

Ethereum, on the other hand, is a store of value like BTC. But it’s much, much more. In fact, it’s these other features that make ETH so interesting.

First off, like nearly all cryptocurrencies, Ethereum works on a decentralized, distributed ledger network. ETH is decentralized because there is no single authority – like a bank – that controls or approves transactions. And ETH is a distributed ledger because it has multiple copies of itself spread over a vast array of computers using cryptography and mathematical problems to make the network strong and safe. Continue reading "Buy Ethereum Today!"

COVID Has Changed The World Forever

In 20, 50, 100 years from now, historians will be writing books and articles talking about how the Covid-19 pandemic was a major turning point globally. While it is hard to say which direction the pandemic has turned the world, there is no doubt that it has changed the world. The same way World War II, the fall of the Soviet Union, the invention of the internet, the automobile, the Great Depression, the attacks on 9/11, the financial and housing crisis in 07-08 all changed the world in some way, this pandemic will do the same.

As an investor, this is very important to understand because it means that the way you should invest if you want to maximize returns and/or reduce risk could also change as you read this. You have to remember; we have been experiencing this pandemic for more than a year now, and most behavioral scientists will tell you that it takes about 6 months for habits to form fully. Whatever new habits people have picked up, or bad habits that were dropped during the past year, are probably here to stay.

For many, working from home is one of those “new” habits. It's going to be difficult for many Americans to work in a formal office setting 5 days a week in the future, since for more than 1 year now, they have been strictly working from home. The rise of at-home workouts provided by companies such as Pelton (PTON) has become a daily habit and shows signs that it is here to stay. More social media use more online shopping, fewer small retail stores that were shut down during the pandemic or just couldn’t survive and compete with the larger retail chains. People moving out of cities for more space or moving further south for warmer temperatures year-round. Continue reading "COVID Has Changed The World Forever"

Beta-Controlled Options Portfolio

Controlling portfolio beta (a measure of volatility or systemic/market risk of a portfolio compared to the market on the whole) while generating the same or superior returns can be achieved with options. A beta-controlled portfolio can be achieved via a blended approach where 50% cash is held in conjunction with long index-based equities and an options component.

Over the past ~13 months, post COVID-19 induced lows, generating consistent monthly income while defining risk, leveraging a minimal amount of capital, and maximizing return on capital has been the core of this options-based/beta-controlled portfolio strategy. They enable smooth and consistent portfolio appreciation without guessing which way the market will move and allow one to generate consistent monthly income in a high probability manner in various market scenarios. Over the past 13 months (April 2020 – April 2021), 249 trades were placed and closed. A win rate of 98% was achieved with an average ROI per winning trade of 8.0% and an overall option premium capture of 85% while outperforming the S&P 500. The performance of an options-based portfolio demonstrates the durability and resiliency of options trading to drive portfolio results with substantially less risk via a beta-controlled manner. The options-based approach circumvented the September 2020, October 2020, and January 2021 sell-offs while outperforming/matching the S&P 500 over the 13-month post-pandemic bull run, posting returns of 58.2% and 61.8%, respectively (Figures 1, 2, and 3).

options

Figure 1 – Overall options-based performance compared to the S&P 500 from April 2020 – April 2021
Continue reading "Beta-Controlled Options Portfolio"

Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Ripple

The bullish setup for Bitcoin that I discussed last week was not triggered, as the price did not break above the bullish confirmation level. The price went the opposite direction, falling beneath the invalidation trigger instead.

The key factors for the sell-off were the U.S. probe into the Binance crypto-exchange, and Tesla is reversing its stance on accepting Bitcoin. The green economy does not support Bitcoin due to its vast electricity consumption, which is generated primarily from fossil fuels.

Bitcoin Daily Chart

The combination of peaks in one area with the highest one in between has built the famous Head & Shoulders reversal pattern (orange). The main focus now is on the orange dotted Neckline as the price hovers around that support. A clear breakdown of it is needed for the pattern to play out. Continue reading "Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Ripple"