Bitcoin Forum

Economy => Economics => Topic started by: virtfund on March 24, 2015, 06:44:05 AM



Title: Bitcoin economics question
Post by: virtfund on March 24, 2015, 06:44:05 AM
So I'm working on something about the crypto-currency economy. Is this correct thinking?

 According to CoinMarketCap.com, the value of all cryptocurrencies is more than $4 billion, but does the crypto-economy really house $4+billion in value? Using Bitcoin, as it has by far the most popular and has the most readily available statistical info, we can find that the average bitcoin is transferred about once every 2.54 years by dividing the average USD daily transaction volume of $40,000,000(2) by the BTC market cap. In comparison, during the 4th quarter of 2014, an individual dollar was spent about once every 238 days(3).

    Using this metric, we can assume that about 4x more of the percentage of total Bitcoin is being used speculatively (as an investment) than of the dollar (such as in stocks, bonds, etc.).

EDIT: 4x is wrong. It would actually be closer to 3x.


Title: Re: Bitcoin economics question
Post by: NUFCrichard on March 24, 2015, 10:10:16 AM
So I'm working on something about the crypto-currency economy. Is this correct thinking?

 According to CoinMarketCap.com, the value of all cryptocurrencies is more than $4 billion, but does the crypto-economy really house $4+billion in value? Using Bitcoin, as it has by far the most popular and has the most readily available statistical info, we can find that the average bitcoin is transferred about once every 2.54 years by dividing the average USD daily transaction volume of $40,000(2) by the BTC market cap. In comparison, during the 4th quarter of 2014, an individual dollar was spent about once every 238 days(3).

    Using this metric, we can assume that about 4x more of the percentage of total Bitcoin is being used speculatively (as an investment) than of the dollar (such as in stocks, bonds, etc.).

Though I don't know about your figures, I would instictively say that more than 4x the % of bitcoins are invested compared to fiat currencies.  This would mainly be due to the inability to spend bitcoin in a day to day fashion, so people have fewer options of what to do with their Bitcoin, so they invest it.

I would also assume that we early adopters are higher risk takers than the average person, so are happier than most to make risky investments.  I would also say that people who buy bitcoin must have some free cash flow, otherwise they wouldn't be buying bitcoin, therefore they are more likely to want to invest their extra money.


Title: Re: Bitcoin economics question
Post by: Slunt on March 24, 2015, 11:49:49 AM
So I'm working on something about the crypto-currency economy. Is this correct thinking?

 According to CoinMarketCap.com, the value of all cryptocurrencies is more than $4 billion, but does the crypto-economy really house $4+billion in value?

Well that's the current exchange value, but the vast majority of it is made up entirely of bitcoin's worth. Most of the alts even combined aren't worth much in comparison. I also don't see most alt coins lasting that long without merchant adoption or mainstream acceptance.


Title: Re: Bitcoin economics question
Post by: Q7 on March 24, 2015, 02:08:20 PM
When it says the value of all cryptocurrencies is more than $4 billion, it doesn't mean that if you exchange all available coins at that particular time, you will get the same exact amount as indicated. That will be much lower because every time you sell a unit of the coin, the price a buyer is willing to pay for the following unit of coins will be much lower. And so it goes.