The total value of the crypto market has been halved since December - is now the time to panic?
FM
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde recently indicated that it is all but inevitable that cryptocurrency will be regulated moving forward. Like other authorities on the subject, she believes that nefarious operators use the anonymity of digital currency to hide their money from the authorities.
The IMF prefers that brokers and platforms come under some form of regulation, despite Bitcoin being unsupervised since 2009. Two of the world’s dominant cryptocurrency trading regions, South Korea and China have already implemented a clampdown on digital currency trading and ICOs.
In particular, South Korean cryptocurrency trading platforms can no longer accept foreign clients, as proof of residence and ID needs to be presented. The WEF (World Economic Forum) is also pushing for regulators to take a stance on making trading activity safer for everyone. It’s interesting to point out that on December 16, 2017, Bitcoin (BTC) peaked at over $19,340, but is now trading around $8,380.
The abrupt decline in digital currency has been attributed to increasing talks of regulation, the actions of China and South Korea, and the removal of South Korean cryptocurrency prices from Coin Market Cap. The top five digital currencies were hovering around the following trading levels on Sunday, 11 February 2018:
Bitcoin – $8,383 with a market cap of $141.3 billion
Ethereum – $840 with a market cap of $81.9 billion
Ripple – $1.03 with a market cap of $40.2 billion
Bitcoin Cash – $1,261 with a market cap of $21.4 billion
Cardano – $0.3793 with a market cap of $9.8 billion
Presently, the value of the cryptocurrency market and its 1,523 digital currencies is approximately $410.58 billion – that’s a far cry from the near $800 billion towards the end of 2017.
What’s in the Pipeline for Cryptocurrency?
The market appears to be going through a period of consolidation right now. The frenetic selling activity has tapered off somewhat, although the volatility in this asset category remains high. A recent article in Forbes Magazine questioned whether Bitcoin was heading towards zero value.
According to PhD economist, Eli Dourado, Bitcoin will be surpassed by Ethereum and ultimately have very little value in the financial markets and elsewhere. The transaction fees for Bitcoin are much higher than they are for any other cryptocurrency, notably Litecoin, Ethereum, and Ripple.
Dourado talks about governance institutions as an important feature in determining the viability of cryptocurrency. In his opinion, Bitcoin suffers bad governance.
Switching gears to Ethereum, there is a greater degree of confidence about this cryptocurrency. For the year to date, Ethereum has fluctuated between $755.76 per unit on January 1, 2018, to its current level of $840.51 per unit. It has traded in a much tighter range than Bitcoin which has also lost significant dominance in terms of market capitalization since January.
As at January 1, 2018, Bitcoin had 38.3 percent of the market and today it’s at 34.5 percent. Ethereum by contrast is up at 20.1 percent today, while it held just 12.0 percent of the market on January 1, 2018. This is significant when the total market capitalization is over $400 billion.
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde recently indicated that it is all but inevitable that cryptocurrency will be regulated moving forward. Like other authorities on the subject, she believes that nefarious operators use the anonymity of digital currency to hide their money from the authorities.
The IMF prefers that brokers and platforms come under some form of regulation, despite Bitcoin being unsupervised since 2009. Two of the world’s dominant cryptocurrency trading regions, South Korea and China have already implemented a clampdown on digital currency trading and ICOs.
In particular, South Korean cryptocurrency trading platforms can no longer accept foreign clients, as proof of residence and ID needs to be presented. The WEF (World Economic Forum) is also pushing for regulators to take a stance on making trading activity safer for everyone. It’s interesting to point out that on December 16, 2017, Bitcoin (BTC) peaked at over $19,340, but is now trading around $8,380.
The abrupt decline in digital currency has been attributed to increasing talks of regulation, the actions of China and South Korea, and the removal of South Korean cryptocurrency prices from Coin Market Cap. The top five digital currencies were hovering around the following trading levels on Sunday, 11 February 2018:
Bitcoin – $8,383 with a market cap of $141.3 billion
Ethereum – $840 with a market cap of $81.9 billion
Ripple – $1.03 with a market cap of $40.2 billion
Bitcoin Cash – $1,261 with a market cap of $21.4 billion
Cardano – $0.3793 with a market cap of $9.8 billion
Presently, the value of the cryptocurrency market and its 1,523 digital currencies is approximately $410.58 billion – that’s a far cry from the near $800 billion towards the end of 2017.
What’s in the Pipeline for Cryptocurrency?
The market appears to be going through a period of consolidation right now. The frenetic selling activity has tapered off somewhat, although the volatility in this asset category remains high. A recent article in Forbes Magazine questioned whether Bitcoin was heading towards zero value.
According to PhD economist, Eli Dourado, Bitcoin will be surpassed by Ethereum and ultimately have very little value in the financial markets and elsewhere. The transaction fees for Bitcoin are much higher than they are for any other cryptocurrency, notably Litecoin, Ethereum, and Ripple.
Dourado talks about governance institutions as an important feature in determining the viability of cryptocurrency. In his opinion, Bitcoin suffers bad governance.
Switching gears to Ethereum, there is a greater degree of confidence about this cryptocurrency. For the year to date, Ethereum has fluctuated between $755.76 per unit on January 1, 2018, to its current level of $840.51 per unit. It has traded in a much tighter range than Bitcoin which has also lost significant dominance in terms of market capitalization since January.
As at January 1, 2018, Bitcoin had 38.3 percent of the market and today it’s at 34.5 percent. Ethereum by contrast is up at 20.1 percent today, while it held just 12.0 percent of the market on January 1, 2018. This is significant when the total market capitalization is over $400 billion.
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This session brings one seasoned trader to the stage for an unfiltered account of the position that still defines how they think about markets.
Attendees will walk away with:
-A first-hand account of how a conviction trade is built, from thesis and entry through position management and exit
-Understanding of what turns a market observation into a live position, and what holds it when conditions shift
-Insight into how timing, execution quality, and market structure shaped the final result
-Perspective on what the trade revealed about edge, risk tolerance, and when to hold through a position moving against you
-Clarity on what separates a well-built trade from a well-timed one
Most market post-mortems describe what happened to prices. Few describe what happened in the trading room while the position was open: the entry conviction, the moments that tested it, and the exit decision that closed the book.
This session brings one seasoned trader to the stage for an unfiltered account of the position that still defines how they think about markets.
Attendees will walk away with:
-A first-hand account of how a conviction trade is built, from thesis and entry through position management and exit
-Understanding of what turns a market observation into a live position, and what holds it when conditions shift
-Insight into how timing, execution quality, and market structure shaped the final result
-Perspective on what the trade revealed about edge, risk tolerance, and when to hold through a position moving against you
-Clarity on what separates a well-built trade from a well-timed one
Most market post-mortems describe what happened to prices. Few describe what happened in the trading room while the position was open: the entry conviction, the moments that tested it, and the exit decision that closed the book.
This session brings one seasoned trader to the stage for an unfiltered account of the position that still defines how they think about markets.
Attendees will walk away with:
-A first-hand account of how a conviction trade is built, from thesis and entry through position management and exit
-Understanding of what turns a market observation into a live position, and what holds it when conditions shift
-Insight into how timing, execution quality, and market structure shaped the final result
-Perspective on what the trade revealed about edge, risk tolerance, and when to hold through a position moving against you
-Clarity on what separates a well-built trade from a well-timed one
Most market post-mortems describe what happened to prices. Few describe what happened in the trading room while the position was open: the entry conviction, the moments that tested it, and the exit decision that closed the book.
This session brings one seasoned trader to the stage for an unfiltered account of the position that still defines how they think about markets.
Attendees will walk away with:
-A first-hand account of how a conviction trade is built, from thesis and entry through position management and exit
-Understanding of what turns a market observation into a live position, and what holds it when conditions shift
-Insight into how timing, execution quality, and market structure shaped the final result
-Perspective on what the trade revealed about edge, risk tolerance, and when to hold through a position moving against you
-Clarity on what separates a well-built trade from a well-timed one
Most market post-mortems describe what happened to prices. Few describe what happened in the trading room while the position was open: the entry conviction, the moments that tested it, and the exit decision that closed the book.
This session brings one seasoned trader to the stage for an unfiltered account of the position that still defines how they think about markets.
Attendees will walk away with:
-A first-hand account of how a conviction trade is built, from thesis and entry through position management and exit
-Understanding of what turns a market observation into a live position, and what holds it when conditions shift
-Insight into how timing, execution quality, and market structure shaped the final result
-Perspective on what the trade revealed about edge, risk tolerance, and when to hold through a position moving against you
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As crypto and CFD trading continue to expand across Africa, access to advanced tools and market insights remains uneven. This session explores how AI and blockchain can bridge that gap by empowering informal traders and underserved communities to participate more effectively in digital financial markets. The discussion will focus on practical applications of technology to improve accessibility, education, and investment outcomes in both formal and informal sectors.
In this discussion, we will explore:
-The role of AI in democratizing access to trading tools, insights, and strategy development
-How crypto and blockchain can enable broader participation beyond traditional financial systems
-Addressing access barriers: infrastructure, education, and affordability in underserved communities
-Opportunities for brokers and platforms to tap into the informal trading economy
As crypto and CFD trading continue to expand across Africa, access to advanced tools and market insights remains uneven. This session explores how AI and blockchain can bridge that gap by empowering informal traders and underserved communities to participate more effectively in digital financial markets. The discussion will focus on practical applications of technology to improve accessibility, education, and investment outcomes in both formal and informal sectors.
In this discussion, we will explore:
-The role of AI in democratizing access to trading tools, insights, and strategy development
-How crypto and blockchain can enable broader participation beyond traditional financial systems
-Addressing access barriers: infrastructure, education, and affordability in underserved communities
-Opportunities for brokers and platforms to tap into the informal trading economy
As crypto and CFD trading continue to expand across Africa, access to advanced tools and market insights remains uneven. This session explores how AI and blockchain can bridge that gap by empowering informal traders and underserved communities to participate more effectively in digital financial markets. The discussion will focus on practical applications of technology to improve accessibility, education, and investment outcomes in both formal and informal sectors.
In this discussion, we will explore:
-The role of AI in democratizing access to trading tools, insights, and strategy development
-How crypto and blockchain can enable broader participation beyond traditional financial systems
-Addressing access barriers: infrastructure, education, and affordability in underserved communities
-Opportunities for brokers and platforms to tap into the informal trading economy
As crypto and CFD trading continue to expand across Africa, access to advanced tools and market insights remains uneven. This session explores how AI and blockchain can bridge that gap by empowering informal traders and underserved communities to participate more effectively in digital financial markets. The discussion will focus on practical applications of technology to improve accessibility, education, and investment outcomes in both formal and informal sectors.
In this discussion, we will explore:
-The role of AI in democratizing access to trading tools, insights, and strategy development
-How crypto and blockchain can enable broader participation beyond traditional financial systems
-Addressing access barriers: infrastructure, education, and affordability in underserved communities
-Opportunities for brokers and platforms to tap into the informal trading economy
As crypto and CFD trading continue to expand across Africa, access to advanced tools and market insights remains uneven. This session explores how AI and blockchain can bridge that gap by empowering informal traders and underserved communities to participate more effectively in digital financial markets. The discussion will focus on practical applications of technology to improve accessibility, education, and investment outcomes in both formal and informal sectors.
In this discussion, we will explore:
-The role of AI in democratizing access to trading tools, insights, and strategy development
-How crypto and blockchain can enable broader participation beyond traditional financial systems
-Addressing access barriers: infrastructure, education, and affordability in underserved communities
-Opportunities for brokers and platforms to tap into the informal trading economy
