Update: As at Tuesday, 6am, it is down to US$30,467 as the sell-off continues. The drop from the January 9 peak is now -US$11,495 or -27%.
The bitcoin price is falling fast today (Monday).
It it now at just US$33,622.
Readers will recall it peaked at US$41,962 on January 9, so the current price is -US$8,340 below that, a drop of -19.9% in just two days!
We have pointed out the extreme volatility before, but the ride for bitcoin 'investors' is getting hair-raising.
Since we reported on its price this morning, it has fallen -US$5,747 or -14.6%.
The fall comes as media reports "unstoppable record highs". The real-time, online changes are becoming extremely swift, exhibiting all the tell-tale signs of irrational frenzy.
It is a game for gamblers with deep pockets who have ice in their veins. It isn't "investment".
125 Comments
That's very observant @thebrain
Bitcoin has been a wonderful thing, especially for young people - it's taught so many of us how to save and rewarded us for doing so. Some of the most financially literate people on Earth are 'Bitcoiners' and gained that literacy partly by going down the Crypto Rabbit Hole. What a boon for young people! If I had a kid I'd rather them be a Bitcoiner and playing round in that eco-system - having hope rather than trouble and despair.
It took decades of the brightest people standing of each-others shoulders in Computer Science, Cryptography, Finance and Game Theory for Bitcoin to be possible. Even unto the ends of Moore's Laws we had to wait.. wait until we couldn't fit (meaningfully) anymore transistors on a silicone chip - so Bitcoin mining hardware wasn't made redundant on arrival. We had to wait for internet adoption itself! lol
Bitcoin has made the digital scarce. THAT'S AMAZING! You can copy and past as many trees as you like, you can't with Bitcoin. Again, THAT'S AMAZING. The digital service always seems to get bigger than the physical version. At the LEAST, at the LEAST .. Bitcoin is digital Gold, IMO :).
I really want my friends and generation to do well and compared to what they could spend money on, this is a great option - plus an awesome learning curve.
Yep - look back to 2017 around the same time after halving when the price dipped 20% https://i.imgur.com/GIJt5GF.png
It's one big scam trapping the millennials in to losing their cash, This is the ultimate "Boomers know shit and we know better" play. Gonna be fun picking up some cheap millennial assets for a song - their houses included . They thought they were "Generation Rent".. they ain't seen s@#t
I've seen those essential workers; rubbish collectors, border workers, cleaners, front line nursing staff, lab staff, supermarket staff etc. which are mostly young and fit and yip, mostly still renting. Lower wages, Pretend/skipping to use the tracer apps, when I asked about potential vaccine jabs?.. ehem it's 'not compulsory' you can opt out by legal means. Their rents keeps getting up, the pay just marginal jokes (compare to the 20% increase side of the equations) - The apathy feeling is very strong out there, so you might have a good point to raise there. Don't care, attitude - be kind & care is work on both ways traffic, watch how it's pan out when only single way traffic. NZ is at that point, Titanic sinking.. throw women & children first to sea, and let the boat for gentlemen play their musical instrument gracefully, oh don't forget the buffet. F*** them I'm fit enough to be the carrier, I survive...who cares about others, after all no one cares about us right? watch this slomo.
Quite a confident statement for a decade which is still only 1 year and 11 days old
Brando the best pill you could take is maybe the Blue one - so you can run off with a big woody.. You and the rest of your mates need to learn what happens with markets - they go up and they go down.. some of us don't really care, but those are the same people who are struggling with the decision about "where do I go for a Holiday".... It's a tough life
Is Bitcoin only worth holding as long as their is is fiat money? Were it to replace that fiat money, we would have the ultimate system with no more booms and busts. The money in circulation solely determined by a computer algorithm. Just like the debunked gold standard.
Because a gold standard requires that money be backed in the metal, then the scarcity of the metal constrains the ability of the economy to produce more capital and grow." The money supply would essentially be determined by the rate of gold production. Dumb!
If it replaced fiat money we would have a terrible system where the value increases constantly as people buy in and as the world economy grows. Why would anyone ever spend or invest their Bitcoin if they know it will buy a lot more tomorrow? It would be deflation to the absolute extreme.
Thats the point, technology is inherently deflationary. the more efficiently we can produce goods, the cheaper they should become, no?
the only reason prices have gone up is because governments have been trying to print money at a rate to devalue the currency faster than technological advancement. And look where that has got us.
It is not the amount of currency in circulation that matters, but the value of the units of the currency.
Zack Brando,
I am following these posts with interest, but almost zero understanding. I am a 75 year old long-term stockmarket investor-over 40 years in the markets- and I will stick to what I know. I wish the Bitcoiners well though i feel sure that many will get burned.
I looked at your profile and based on that I agree-you are some way yet from being an adult. It's just nonsense
Would be interested to know what percentages you've allocated to different assets in your current portfolio linklater01. What your hedge strategy is would also be well received. At 75 you still have a good run ahead if you're healthy, so I'd imagine it's top of mind making those assets last.
I'm a great believer in the wisdom of age and experience. But have also noticed that many who formed their world view coming of age in the 1960's rejected the wisdom of their parents to embrace a different value set. In today's environment many (not all obviously) have next to no wisdom, and are essentially bankrupt on advice for the younger generation in almost every area of life.
Just another bubble ae, how many bubbles and Ponzi scams have you seen that have inflated and popped 5 times but keep coming back stronger every time? Stop being so closed minded and do some better research mate, your going to be on the wrong side of history, like Peter Schiff hahah
It's not "what I believe'. It's how the price of Bitcoin has moved over time, accepting that past performance is no indication of future performance. Furthermore, the multiple of the current Bitcoin price over the 200-day moving average is lower than any other peak in Bitcoin's history.
And now it's USD35,500. Then in a few minutes it will be X.
Objectively tiresome. Perhaps the next article could simply be headlined "Writer writes about Bitcoin to get clicks" with the body composed of a single sentence repeating "bitcoin"a few times. It will be equally informative but, most importantly, will achieve the desired outcome in terms of web traffic.
Coincidentally have my eye on a car a consider a future classic but that’s another matter.
I intend to dollar cost average and not put a substantial amount of money in Bitcoin so no major. I’ve always liked it and see it having massive upside. Ironically I think it’s an asset that as it increases in value it gets safer and is starting to get proper traction with big players. Why couldn’t it reach golds cap?
Why wouldn't it reach the Gold cap... Because it's not backed by anything significant or solid. The so called "big players" are just pandering to their clients wishes.. it's complicated. For the people who believe in Crypto - more power to them. For those who don't... more power to them also. As per the "Dotcom" bubble - some made a killing.... some lost a fortune. The "Dotcom" episode is the same as the Crypto mania - lot's of hype, no substance
As much as I think it is a crap long term investment as I can’t see any real value, there definitely have been plenty of people made rich from it over a reasonably long period of time. Not many would have lost money as long as they held during the bad times. Of course it may one day drop to zero and never recover. But probably worth a punt if you have money to “invest”
Haha JJ.. the classic statement - "not many would have lost if they'd held".. That's up there with the old chestnut " it's not timing the market but time in the market" The last statement is constantly spouted by brokers etc. Invest your money yourself, take the gains and wear the losses but most of all don't waste your time with so called "managers or experts". Anyone with a bit of nouse can easily smoke the Fund Managers - they're a crock
Bitcoin has been around much longer than i thought it would, I’m prepared to admit when I’m wrong. It has been a pretty exceptional investment for many, who knows how long that will continue. I’d take a punt if I had some money that needed a home. Not too much though.
I've used Easy Crypto, worked fine, was painless lol. Their KYC verification was fast.. less than 24 hours. You can purchase small or large amounts.
Just purchase little amounts every couple of weeks, dollar-cost-average it out. But it's always good to take an initial stake in things. Invest in what you understand and believe in - that way price movement won't give you a heart attack.
If you don't quite understand the ins-and-outs of Bitcoin, it's still ok to invest, just don't invest sooo much it keeps you up at night. A wee investment might lead to greater understanding and the kool mantle of being an early adopter - be one of the kool kids with us lol :)
I know generations above me fear looking foolish; "Remember that time Dad was into that Bitcoin thing? hahaha". lol :) Look, buy a little, play around with it, spend it .. donate it to a charity that accepts bitcoin.. send it to a kid in Africa who has no shoes, but oddly has a smart phone (you know that it's a thing! lol) give it a go. :)
If you don't like it as a store of value, investment or means-of-exchange.. you can just sell it back into fiat. I believe if you purchase Bitcoin through PayPal, you can effectively spend (the value of) your BTC wherever PayPal is accepted. I don't know much about PayPal's current offerings and I'd recommend NOT buying large amounts of BTC and having PayPal custody it for you. However a few hundred dollar held in BTC by PayPal could turn into the latest laptop via a PayPal merchant.
I recommend using Exodus wallet, you can install it on your PC or phone. You will have to back up your private keys somewhere safe, as if some one gets a hold of them they can take all your wallet contents. https://www.exodus.io/
Click on BTC and then then your Receive address. copy this, this is where to send your Bitcoin.
Best and easiest place to buy in NZ is at Easy Crypto. sign up, send a pic of your license and your good to go. Follow the purchase instructions then just transfer money from your bank to theirs and the BTC will turn up in your wallet
https://easycrypto.ai/?ref=2573
You can also set up an automatic buy for dollar cost averaging, but as we are at the start of a bull market i personally recommend dumping a bit in now then DCA.
Happy to answer any questions :)
Also you can sell your crypto through them as well. click sell, send them the crypto and they will deposit the amount into your bank account :) easy as.
Of course they have slightly higher fees than using an exchange, but hat comes with the convenience. And not having to have your money sitting on an exchange like kiwicoin or independent reserve.
Hi Withay,
I use a Christchurch based company to purchase and sell crypto. Bitprime.co.nz. The sell 150+ cryptos and are really good to deal with. I also hold my crypto on a Nano S stick. this is the safest way to store...also if only a small amount you might want to look at Exodus online wallet. Just ensure you save a 12 word phase that will be given, this is a backup in case things fo wrong, such as losing wallet.
It blows my mind that people literally depend on technology for 99% of their lives now, and yet someone has finally created all the monetary tools to replace our existing corrupted system with blockchain and everyone is all, "Hrumpf, It'll never take off".
Folks, we are living through a moment in history that has never been before, will never be again, and is going to inexorably change the world as we know it. The Byzantine Generals problem has been solved, and nothing will ever be the same again.
The gigantic inequality it creates, the erosion of people’s savings and devaluation of their work for starters.
Old farts at the end of their working lives don't care about monetary debasement as it usually affects them less than those starting out on their working lives.
What?? Old farts at the end of their lives care the most. Their saving that they have saved all their lives and need to live on are being devalued by the day. And they have no low risk options to invest it. term deposits return a negative real rate after inflation so everyone is pushed out the risk curve into having to be an investor or stock market expert. And in the mean time, everything you want when you are retired after working hard all your life, ie luxury goods, have been going up at close to 20% per year.
OK. Fair point. But if you look at the housing bubble, the young people have the rough end of the stick right now. And this has been primarily pushed by money printing and debasement.
As for luxury goods, I don't think a LVMH handbag appreciates at 20% per year. Not sure where you picked up this idea.
That's not the worst part by far. The worst part is that once people have to declare their wallet addresses, which will inevitably happen as governments capitulate, and regulate, there'll be no such thing as an anonymous transaction anymore. That's a seriously dystopian situation. But that won't probably be for another 20 years or so. In the meantime, fill your boots.
There is still trust required. You need to trust that the currency you choose (whether it be Bitcoin, Ripple, or the Jimbo coin) will still be in demand when you go to spend it. The advantage of fiat is that there is only one currency per country. The disadvantage of crypto is that there are unlimited. Maybe over time there will be a clear winner - yet at the moment everyone is betting on the one with terrible technology that could never be a global currency.
Literally the only people who have lost money in the last 12 years buying and holding BTC is anyone who brought for the first time in the last 4 days. If you can't recognise the long term trend by now you're simply ignoring the new reality. A 20%+ daily movement used to happen a few times a year, it's just the numbers are bigger now. If you can't handle seeing those sort of swings, this is not the asset for you. Though things have been a little less volatile of late as the market cap increases, and will continue to do so. The rise was starting to get a bit heated, so this drop is welcome to establish some support, and no surprise to anyone who's been in the market for more than a cycle. It's remarkable just how much massive buying interest there is right now on any drops though. What I would be surprised about, is if we're not above $50,000 by mid year.
Yes you are correct, people who have been careless or stupid have also lost money. Just like careless and stupid people with fiat money. The only difference with fiat is careless and stupid people are often refunded by the bank. Which is paid for by all the other depositors (that's you).
Not your keys not your coin. Literally the first rule of BTC. Never leave any crypto on an exchange unless its there to sell. Be your own bank.
When your own bank, the first rule is keep your keys (password) safe. Never ever give it to anyone, never ever take a photo of it, never ever store it on a computer. Make sure you have paper / steel / shared secret backups.
The amount of security required, in alignment to the amount you have stored. You'd happily leave a $20 bill on your kitchen table, maybe even a $100 bill. You probably wouldn't leave $1000 sitting there, and you definitely wouldn't leave $100k.
"Which is paid for by all the other depositors (that's you)."
“Lost coins only make everyone else's coins worth slightly more. Think of it as a donation to everyone.”—Satoshi Nakamoto
People will look back in 15 years and say...
Oops I wish I had bought a little BTC & learnt more about smart contract platforms (Ethereum / Polkadot / Cardano etc) + decentralised finance (Aave / Yearn Finance / Synthetix / Uniswap etc) + Oracle's (Chainlink) + decentralised automated organisations (DAOs) in 2020... I wish I had just put a little bit of money into those tokens, and learnt how to "un-bank" myself because my bank was screwing me - and that's why they will be replaced by Fintech / DEFI...
Why not unbank yourself? Banks are making money from your money and paying you a pittance... Of course they will be disrupted (Just like those taxi drivers)
To me it's a simple case of supply and demand. Currently 18.5 million coins available, 2.5 mil more to be mined before 2140, estimated 4 mill permanently lost. There about 49 million millionaires in the world, there are only enough bitcoin for 0.3 each, assuming all available BTC were for sale and they're not. In the last 6 months institutions, wealthy individuals, insurance companies have been buying in the hundreds of millions of dollars. You can buy via PayPal in the US and that opens up to international customers in Q2 - 350 million potential buyers. PayPal stores will offer good for sale with Bitcoin - 22 mil merchants. Demand outstrips supply by a significant amount and that's not slowing down.
People naturally look at things they don't/can't understand as though they are magic (religion/mumbo jumbo). It's no different looking under the hood of technology. Few understand how the internet works in spite of our heavy reliance on it today. Back in the 90's the people who were excited and engaged in the internet space were called "geeks", "computer nerds" and "weirdos". The establishment laughed when it was suggested that entire industries could be disrupted by this new technology. But no one's laughing now, and the internet has eaten the world becoming a huge horizontal spanning every other vertical business in existence.
As it was then, so it is now. To understand bitcoin requires a polymath brain, with a more than arbitrary understanding of technology, finance, history, human psychology and the macro-economic environment. The Luddites resort to ad hominem attacks exposing their own fears and irrelevance in the face of the changing world order. I can understand this. I can only imagine it's awful being old, without enough wisdom to see the incoming tsunami. Desperately clinging to the flotsam of the outgoing economic paradigm as governments worldwide print trillions of dollars out of thin air crying, "THIS TIME IT'S DIFFERENT".
All crypto assumes the continued existence of relatively instant international electronic comms channels. Not so sure that I'd bet the farm on That being the case.....one snip from an underwater drone on a cable or a space EMP that takes sats out, and everything from mines to wallets goes offline.....needs paper-based backup......
Actually not true, the banks would be completely stuffed with their centralised data-centres but bitcoin would recover pretty quickly as sat-nodes kicked into gear broadcasting the blockchain over satellite. https://blockstream.com/satellite/
Here's the "crash" in context for all the Bitcoin naysayers/economic experts btw. Doesn't really look like a crash at all does it? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErceZgzXYAAPtTN?format=png&name=large
Also, BTC is back up to $35K which is the ATH from
*checks notes*
last Thursday.
So BTC has been profitable for 4387/4392 days folks.
Looks like some commentators on this thread are about to get wrecked...
- Put money in good banks, then after your death - it can still be accessed, legal protection and all.
- Banks run a business model - gave credit and yea, sure at the moment assurances fall into housing.
- Never heard of BTC funding credit for this and that, they need to piggy back to legal based protection.
- Lost password? lost money.. whaa? so? BTC put the final trust into .. human?.. which prone to be anything.
- Mark this, after being used by criminals & 'terrorists' (albeit made up allegations)..world govt will ban it.. then bbye.
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