Bitcoin Is At A Crossroads

Aibek Burabayev - INO.com Contributor - Metals - Bitcoin Price


Back in December I called for an unbelievable $20k target for the Bitcoin when it traded around $15.6k, and ten days later that target was hit (click on the play button to see how price emerged). It was one hell of the roller coaster ride that month as Bitcoin then lost almost half of its worth in a matter of days right ahead of Christmas falling to $11k.

Rinse and repeat! The crypto king started to grow again, and then I posted another map at the end of 2017, which implied a pullback to the $16k-$20k area before another huge drop to the $7500 area. Amazingly, both the upside and downside forecasted areas were hit accurately (click on the play button to see how price emerged).

The Bitcoin buzz is coming down with the price staying below $10k. It is like a superstar who has seen his best times already and is on the tour to the countries where he is still warmly welcomed as we are not in the $20k euphoria area now (we can call it a “cocaine” time) although you can still buy some pleasant things selling just one coin for more than $7k these days.

In this post, I would like to share with you a familiar pattern I spotted recently on the Bitcoin chart. Continue reading "Bitcoin Is At A Crossroads"

Bitcoin Fell 35% in March

Matt Thalman - INO.com Contributor - ETFs - Bitcoins Price


During March, the price of Bitcoin fell just about 35%. It started the month at $10,805 and ended just below $7,000. Bitcoin’s decline in March has been massive, but what I find even more interesting is this decline has been somewhat slow and steady. In the past when Bitcoin would crash, 30%, 40%, 50% or even more, it would happen in a matter of days or even hours.

The slow decline is an indication that the Bitcoin craze or Bitcoin Bubble is likely over. When the craze hit a fever pitch following the Thanksgiving Holiday in the US, the price more than doubled in just about 25 days. The Bitcoin rally hit a peak on December 17th, 2017 when they were trading for more than $19,205 per coin. More so than that, the last time Bitcoin traded in the low $6,000 range, was before the Thanksgiving Holiday when it is believed many families sat around the dinner table and discussed the “can’t miss opportunity in cryptocurrencies.” Those discussions helped fuel 100,000 new accounts being opened that weekend and the price of Bitcoin hitting $9,000 for the first time.

The Thanksgiving dinner table conversations helped foster the “fear of missing out” trend that we saw catapult Bitcoin both into the limelight and at breathtaking prices. That fear soon faded as Bitcoin fell hard, from $19,205 to $14,500 in just five days, following it hitting its record and still all-time high. Ever since then the cryptocurrency has been on a downward trajectory.

The declining price has lessened interest from both the general public and big investors, and even now we have seen the media outlets reducing coverage on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Even Alphabet’s Google searches (Fig.1) are down dramatically since the peak. A further look at the price of Bitcoin (Fig.2) and the Google search trend of Bitcoin may tell another story. The two charts side by side look very, very similar. Continue reading "Bitcoin Fell 35% in March"

Bitcoin: The Appetite for the Unknown

Lior Alkalay - INO.com Contributor


Over the past month, Bitcoin has become almost synonymous with the word bubble. In fact, Google searches for the combination words “Bitcoin” and “bubble” has jumped exponentially. That is unsurprising considering Bitcoin’s phenomenal ascent—piercing through record after record.

Even as calls and forecasts for Bitcoin’s eventual collapse intensify, the enthusiasm has intensified, as well. The cryptocurrency is now available for trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange floor, making its way forward as a form of legal tender. It’s also unsurprising, then, that in another Google search, the word combo of “buy” and “Bitcoin” is also at a record high.
So, how can we gauge Bitcoin? We cannot! And that is what I call the Unknown Factor.

Bitcoin Google Search Data
Chart courtesy of Google Trends

Bitcoin is No Tulip

Some prominent figures including Jaime Dimon CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co and John C. Bogle-founder of Vanguard Group. have labeled Bitcoin as a bubble, even the world's most famous investor Warren Buffet has been a skeptic on Bitcoin labeling digital currencies a “mirage.” In fact, most of all, the latest Bitcoin surge is compared to the Tulip Mania that took place way back in the 17th century in the Dutch Republic. Back then, Investors got caught up in a frenzy of tulips and began speculating on their price. A bubble was inflated, and eventually, like every inflated bubble, in 1637 the tulip bubble burst, leaving investors “wounded” and with “hefty losses.” The difference between then and now is that a tulip is, for lack of a better description, a “useless asset.” As a commodity, the tulip, albeit pretty, is nothing more than a decaying flower with no real use or applications in food or industry. Unlike a commodity such as gold or silver, a tulip cannot be used for jewelry.
Continue reading "Bitcoin: The Appetite for the Unknown"

Futures Market for Bitcoin Gives the Currency Staying Power, But May Hurt Price

Matt Thalman - INO.com Contributor - ETFs


Futures contracts in the crypto-currency Bitcoin (CME:BRTI) are expected to begin trading on the CBOE on Dec. 10, after getting the green light last week from regulators. That gives the CBOE a week of exclusivity. The exchange operator's larger Chicago rival the CME has said its contracts will begin trading Dec. 18.

When the futures are offered, more investors will be given access to the crypto-currency. Institutional investors for one will now be able to build a position in Bitcoin through the use of futures trading.

Furthermore, retail and small investors will have a much easier time gaining access to the fast-growing asset class through the use of futures, but certainly, if Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds, which would use the futures, are approved. Instead of having to go through lesser-known crypto-currency exchanges and using credit cards to make purchases of Bitcoins, investors will simply be able to use their brokerage accounts and buy and sell futures contracts through the well respected and trustworthy CME.

More so, many believe that once the CME is offering Bitcoin futures, Exchange Traded Funds will be permitted to offer Bitcoin investments through the use of futures. Continue reading "Futures Market for Bitcoin Gives the Currency Staying Power, But May Hurt Price"