Why do big corporations accept BTC? .... Steam recently dropped support for bitcoin. It could mean they'll lose millions in revenue. Adding bitcoin support is like writing and publishing a book. Then having it translated in other languages. Adding bitcoin support broadens their potential number of users and customer base. Steam by contrast, dropping bitcoin support, limits their user and customer base. Those are the basic fundamental principles surrounding microsoft and others expanding to support bitcoin. Those large entities recognize that they've reached a saturation point where high growth is no longer an option for them. And so they look for niche methods which can be utilized to broaden and expand their markets, via reaching out to demographics of people who might not normally buy or use their products. Microsoft is an example of this. Most techies would probably prefer linux. Microsoft adding bitcoin support allows them to cater to the linux users and bitcoin fans who might not normally do business with microsoft. There could be sound strategy and good business sense behind retailers including bitcoin support which go neglected and fly beneath the radar. |
|
|
|
This might look like an attack on bitcoin and crypto. There's an alternate explanation for it. China is taking steps to ensure capital stays inside its borders. Bitcoin is one method of extracting capital in china to other nations, across china's borders. That could be one real motivation and reasoning behind these crackdowns on ICO's, exchanges, etc. There are more detailed pieces on this topic which can be found via search engine for those interested. This ultimately is good. It's obvious chinese miners had an unfair advantage due their cheap electricity costs, now they will need to compete with realistic electricity bills like the rest of the world. It also helps decentralize the bulk of the mining out of the chinese territory. We need mining in as many different jurisdictions as possible.
Very good point ^. (I was going to say that) Chinese miners often have access to hydroelectric power, which is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than coal. This gave chinese miners a HUGE advantage over their competition in the US and elsewhere. With that advantage removed, mining might actually become profitable again and like cellard said, the mining aspect of crypto could become less centralized across china. Also china's energy market being more deregulated & having fewer laws relating to energy production being clean or ethical makes electricity cheaper there too if I'm not mistaken. |
|
|
|
|
This might sound ridiculous but there is a chance market cap isn't truly increasing.
What we may be seeing is a shift of market cap from fiat to crypto currencies. Crypto's rising market cap might better be described as a paradigm shift whereby wealth is shifting from traditional fiat currencies and the economies they represent. If the world's markets and economies are dwindling and growing less wealthy over time, that might be explained by the world's wealth being shifted into bitcoin instead.
What we may be seeing is bitcoin gaining value as people abandon the world's markets and fiat currencies and choose to pour their wealth into bitcoin/crypto, instead.
|
|
|
|
Blockchain is becoming a buzzword everyone uses. But I think that few know what "blockchain" means or comprehend its significance(including myself  ). The impression I get is: blockchain is a better mousetrap. The software design and implementation of blockchain as a banking system is cheaper and better in several different ways in comparison to traditional (and very old) banking systems which utilize ACH's (automated clearing houses). I'm not an expert or super knowledgeable on financial or banking systems, but that's the best I can come up with and I would very much like to see someone correct me or provide a better explanation for why blockchain could represent a next generation banking system. Reasons for blockchain being significantly better could be its design shift towards trustless systems which cut down on the amount of manpower required to carry out an average number of transactions. In that sense, blockchain could sever middle men from the business plan similar to what amazon and to a lesser extent, walmart achieved. Anyways, I wish someone would chime in here. This could be an interesting discussion/debate in the making, even on a superficial level. |
|
|
|
|
Interesting. Can we label Iran as Venezuela 2.0? Both Iran and Venezuela are nations rich in oil who could have strong economies and good living standards for its respective population, yet somehow that never appears to happen. I would very much be interested in seeing an analyst, journalist or someone in the media cover exposition on the reasons for this, btw. It seems unfair for bitcoin to be attacked and criticized constantly in the media and for contributing reasons behind Iran and Venezuela's economic failures not being worth mentioning by anyone.
Not to be a doom and gloomin, negative nancy, but I expect this trend to continue throughout 2018 all over the world. For americans and others living in wealthier nations, Iran and Venezuela could be our future if things don't change.
|
|
|
|
You see all beside year 2014 were positive. .... That's a good point. I know 2014 wasn't the best year for bitcoin. Still that was a great time with Ross Ulbricht (aka Dread Pirate Roberts) claiming he inherited Silk Road from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts & had no idea where the original silk road came from. I know he's in prison now & probably not in the best circumstances but man that was hilarious. 2018 could be a key year for bitcoin. I think the new year will be pivotal in writing bitcoin's history. At this point, I don't think anyone knows what will happen. I'm clueless and am out of ideas. It appears the speculation and price volatility inherent in bitcoin is dying down as people come to the realization bitcoin isn't the easy money they initially thought it might be. That could be good for long term HODL / bitcoin as a store of value if market speculation decreases. Other than that, I'm expecting bitcoin & crypto to be a warzone, moreso than its been in past years. |
|
|
|
 I like how conservative these projections and analysis are. OP's article reads like, the only thing said about bitcoin lately where people may be walking on eggshells as they're concerned about putting their reputation at risk. I feel like the author came on this forum, read what everyone was saying & rewrote general public opinion to come up with their article, avoiding the more controversial points. Its a well structured read from an english perspective, but there's nothing really new here and some of the points have a bit of spin applied to them. I would be interested to know what people who write these articles really think about bitcoin without the politics, agendas and intrigue involved.
|
|
|
|
If Ghana's central bank invested 1% of its reserves in bitcoin, you would see the price go up. (Bitcoin's price not moving is how you know the headline might be misleading  ) There could be an underlying theme here. A whale or someone with big connections might have bought millions in bitcoin, causing the price to rise from around $13k to $15k. Now they might be utilizing their connections to persuade the central bank of ghana to buy more bitcoin to raise the price higher so that they can sell and reap their profits. It is just a conspiracy theory but we might be seeing how the wealthy and elites have advantages over normal traders and a real world example of how big fish utilize insider connections (its not who you are, its who you know) to make their money. |
|
|
|
I think the case is that we've known this was happening for decades but had no definitive, solid proof of the conspiracy. Now we do, so everyone is waiting for the shoe to drop -- how will this be addressed by the tech industry, the alphabet soup, the gov, et al.
How do you react when this kind of flaw is made public?
.... There won't be a reaction. No one will discuss this or do legitimate fact checking on it. I doubt anyone cares. If you look at all of the journalists and independent media people one might expect to jump on this story, none will cover it. Everyone is selling out and it might be game over as far as legitimate & informative media goes. To be honest, I'm selling out too and will be cutting down on the amount of legit content aimed at benefiting public interest which I normally made in the past. The overwhelming amount of utter silence pervading real and pressing issues we face today. That's all people need to know as far as topics like this go. Also there could be an overwhelming amount of evidence to support said conspiracy theory. I did some quick searching via google and it looks like search results have been scrubbed to strip out relevent data. So, that's where we are right now in 2018. Maybe things will get better, then again maybe not. |
|
|
|
I have some savings in US dollars and want to convert them in my national currency,but i`m waiting for the US dollar to become more expensive.Will this happend this year?What will be the factors behind such price increase?If the USD increase it`s value ,how it will influence bitcoin and altcoins prices?
I have my own theory about this,but i want to hear other people`s opinions.
.... Basics: The value of the dollar is tied to the state of the economy of the USA. If the US economy strengthens, jobs are created, economic policies refined, debt reduced and other positive circumstances arise, the US dollar is likely to rise in value. The same applies to the opposite. If the US economy weakens, and debt increases, the value of the dollar should decline. Then there's another aspect to the equation which factors in supply and demand. Many nations engage in a form of currency manipulation whereby they purchase the currency of other nations to weaken their own currency in relation to it. An example of this is china buying the US dollar(increasing demand, increases price) to weaken their own currency the yuan in comparison to the dollar. This has a net effect of boosting exports. If you're interested in making your own projections, the above might be a decent place to start. I think a majority of professional analysts are predicting the US dollar to decline in 2018. I can't remember if they also predicted the stock market to fail after Donald Trump took office. Analysts did badly mess up the last amazon stock estimate. I haven't been keeping track but its possible analyst estimates aren't as reliable as they used to be, and so it might be good to take whatever they say with a bit of salt. |
|
|
|
Thanks for posting this. OP's article: Intel CEO Brian Krzanich sold off a large portion of his stake in the company months after Google had informed the chipmaker of a significant security vulnerability in its flagship PC processors — but before the problem was publicly known. The vulnerability, which affects processors from Intel, AMD, and ARM and could allow malicious actors to steal passwords and other secret data, became public this week. The disclosure has left processor makers and operating-system vendors including Intel and Microsoft scrambling to get on top of the story and patch their products. But while the public is just being informed about the security problem, tech companies have known about it for months. In fact, Google informed Intel of the vulnerability in June, an Intel representative told Business Insider in a statement. That means Intel was aware of the problem before Krzanich sold off a big chunk of his holdings. Intel's CEO saw a $24 million windfall November 29 through a combination of selling shares he owned outright and exercising stock options. The stock sale raised eyebrows when it was disclosed, primarily because it left Krzanich with just 250,000 shares of Intel stock — the minimum the company requires him to hold under his employment agreement. But the sell-off could draw even more scrutiny now, given the news about the security vulnerability and the timing of when Intel knew about it. A representative for the Securities and Exchange Commission declined to comment on whether it was looking into the stock sales. Intel says the sale was preplanned — but that plan was put in place months after it learned of the chip vulnerability In the statement, the Intel representative said Krzanich's sale had nothing to do with the newly disclosed chip vulnerability and was done as part of a standard stock-sale plan. "Brian's sale is unrelated," the representative said in the statement, adding that Krzanich "continues to hold shares in line with corporate guidelines." To avoid charges of trading on insider knowledge, executives often put in place plans that automatically sell a portion of their stock holdings or exercise some of their options on a predetermined schedule, typically referred to as Rule 10b5-1(c) trading plans. According to an SEC filing, the holdings that Krzanich sold in November — 245,743 shares of stock he owned outright and 644,135 shares he got from exercising his options — were divested under just such a trading plan. But Krzanich put that plan in place only on October 30, according to the filing. The representative said his decision to set up that plan was "unrelated" to information about the security vulnerability. Still, the timeline raises questions. News of the security flaw helped send Intel's stock lower Wednesday. It closed down $1.59, or 3.4%, to $45.26. http://www.businessinsider.com/intel-ceo-krzanich-sold-shares-after-company-was-informed-of-chip-flaw-2018-1.... I've read about hardware vulnerabilities relating to CPU's for years. These types of electronic attacks have been achieved as a proof of concept for a long time(if I'm remembering right). I guess this is the first time we have a confirmed exploit? Whatever the circumstances surrounding this, I would guess they existed as 0day vulns for a long time. Its long been known that governments buy these types software vulnerabilities for $250,000+. Google reporting the vuln publicly could be an ethical move on their part aimed at reducing the degree to which state surveillance is able to exploit these flaws to gather intel. There's also a chance that this vuln is related to the high number of electronic thefts we've seen relating to credit card and other data. In which case, this could simply be an act of self preservation towards the financial institutions who might be affected. Whatever the circumstances, there's no way Krzanich will face any form of legal action over this(not saying that he should). There are far worse precedents of abuse, insider trading and exploitive behavior that have gone unpunished. I don't mind Krzanich selling his stock on insider info. There are likely other angles to this story that go unnoticed. States and governments have been pressuring the tech sector for a long time to build backdoors into products which allow state intelligence to collect data and monitor usage of its citizens. Microsoft, AMD and other tech giants could have built these vulnerabilities into their products deliberately to allow the NSA and whoever else to collect data and spy on people. It is a conspiracy theory & all of it could be 100% incorrect. But maybe something worth noting. |
|
|
|
|
The term crypto-fiat might better apply to central bank issued currencies utilizing blockchain technology. Bank issued crypto will likely be exactly identical to fiat, and not contain many of the intrinsic properties which define true crypto currencies.
There may be an angle here worth mentioning. The way things are now, central banks utilize the same SWIFT network. All central banks of the world relying upon the same monolithic electronic transaction system provides incentive towards centralization. However, if central banks issue their own crypto currencies, what could happen is instead of a centralized network of banking, we'll see a splintering of that unified front. And instead central banks could gradually become more independent of each other.
Blockchain is like that "so-easy-a-caveman-could-do-it" commercial. Its like a "banking for dummies" book written in software. Crypto fiat could make banking so easy that centralized bankers will become independent enough to break away from each other. It might be compared to the Soviet Union in a post collapse era where a single unified USSR split into independent nation states.
I don't know if I'll live to see it, but would be interesting to know if the way I'm seeing things going pans out over the long term.
|
|
|
|
people said LTC or ETh would take over but seems those are moving down a bit.
With all the gains I make in other coins, LTC, Verge etc.
should i take all profits and put that all in to BTC? as a long term solution?
would BTC be the best one to focus in long term in profits holding and gains?
.... I get the impression there are many sock puppet accounts on forums, reddit and elsewhere who spam how great "bitcoin cash/ethereum/insert-altcoin-name-here" is, whenever there's a coordinated pump and dump. Much of the "LTC/ETH/bitcoin cash is taking over!!" rhetoric is intended to compel people to buy (something) to cover the dump cycle where the price crashes. Experts, analysts and stock pickers are also not above using their station to convince people to buy something they're holding to make money. Its good policy to question what people are saying in finance, always. Following popular opinion isn't necessarily something that will allow someone to get hot tips, more the opposite. The growth potential of altcoins could be higher than bitcoin, at the moment, its tough to say. The negative thing with altcoins is, they get pumped every 3-6 months or so, if even that. The best time to buy in could be when prices haven't moved significantly. That tends to mean they're overdue for a price increase. Whether bitcoin breaks its all time high depends mainly on whether we can make a coordinated effort to reduce transfer fees and also whether the trading volume of alts remains low enough to make them attractive pump and dump options for whales and big fish. BTC has been highly speculative over the last few weeks with the price bobbing up and down like a bottle in the ocean. If the speculation diminishes and volatility decreases it could revert back to a HODL pattern. Otherwise, I would say altcoins could be better over the long term if you can find one that is undervalued and overdue for a pump. |
|
|
|
I was thinking about platforms like kickICO, but if I wouldnt reveal enough information about software, I dont think I would get anyone interested in project there, but as I said I cant reveal anything too much as someone with some funding would easily take the idea and realize it.
So I am looking forward to see some opinions, thanks a lot for taking your time.
.... There was an article written recently claiming 92% of blockchain projects fail. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2668072.msg27219979#msg27219979That could be a tough statistic to overcome, even without factoring in other obstacles you face. It may be possible to cut your $10k-$12k estimate by outsourcing development work to those in other countries like india over the internet. I'm not certain if people still do it, or if its still viable from a business perspective, but it used to be fairly common back in the day. If costs are too high, you may be able to secure help on a volunteer basis if you can describe your project (without giving away essential details) in a way which captures peoples imaginations and excitement. Generating "buzz" and receiving funding could be somewhat correlated. I think gofundme, kickstarter and more popular, big name, crowdfunding platforms might have a larger userbase. Larger base could translate to higher chance of investors contributing to your project. It might depend on how heavily saturated those platforms are with blockchain related projects and what their failure rate is. If nothing else you might be able to find people interested in seeing bitcoin and blockchain succeed who might be willing to work on your project for free. I would be interested in working on something like that, if only to learn more, should an opportunity come along. |
|
|
|
I think 2018 will be an extraordinary, medical and AI would be nice, because there are many projects already in development, such projects do you optimistic? To talk about the idea!
You mentioned medicine and AI. Is this a thread for exciting new technologies other than blockchain/crypto?  That's a very interesting topic. Elon Musk could be one of the pioneers considered on the forefront of new and exciting tech. Between Space X, Solar City, Tesla Motors and his other ventures he's done exciting work there. Awhile ago, there was a documentary on ViceTV where viruses like rabies were genetically engineered to be harmless. It turns out some viruses like rabies target and kill cancer cells. Injecting a cancer positive patient with a virus which was rendered "harmless" was thought to be a promising cancer treatment. Unfortunately, I think all of the patients who had their cancer treated and put into remission in the documentary later died. But still, the results before that point looked very good, if I remember right. I've seen the US military propose bringing back battleship sized vessels for the US navy. They've also proposed robotic, radio controlled, drone submarines armed with nuclear missiles, if I'm remembering right. Then the US military also wants to utilize lasers and railguns. I guess those might be considered some of the "extraordinary" new projects in development you're referring to? CRISPR and gene editing could be the most exciting thing I've seen in medicine for awhile. I still think AI is overrated. .... Someone reply to my post, we can get a good convo going. |
|
|
|
|
Both experience and skill definitely factor in. These days a high percentage of trading is dominated by mathematicians and strategies based on algorithms, statistical analysis and other specialized skillsets. The so called "quants". With billions of dollars at stake, trading will always be defined in terms of extremely competitive markets and the brightest and most talented minds will be recruited by big banks and others with big money to throw at problems, in order to beat the competition.
All of the above represents the stock market, forex and similar trading. Bitcoin and crypto trading is possibly less advanced. There are no massive hedge funds or banks involved in crypto trading like there is in stocks. Still, it may only be a matter of time before crypto trading advances to become largely dominated by some of the larger and richer players.
One thing about defining this question in terms of experience and skill, it could underestimate how difficult it is to explain or predict price movements. Most have a tough time explaining why bitcoin's price is moving up or down, or why alt prices are moving the way they are. Being able to explain and predict market movements is something that takes both experience and skill. Also, sometimes price movements are completely unpredictable unless someone has insider sources which can complicate things and negate both experience and skill.
|
|
|
|
|
The food industries of nations like south korea and china could be worth investing in, they're growing at a good pace.
A lot of american food processing is shifting to those two countries. For example, starkist canned tuna americans buy in stores used to be owned and operated by an american company. Awhile ago, starkist was bought out by a south korean country and now tuna is processed there if I'm not mistaken.
There have been other proposals to move processing of US pork and other food items to china, mexico or other places abroad.
The recent paradigm shift whereby food processing which was done in the united states is shifting to foreign countries and being imported into the USA, could make investment in this sector worthwhile.
|
|
|
|
I think this might be what you're looking for(if the graphic loads).  Link to image if graphic doesn't load: http://i67.tinypic.com/1zn039i.jpgAnything involving keywords innovation, invention, s curve should yield decent results and better information than I could provide.. BTW I wouldn't have a clue what the "S Curve" was if another poster on this forum hadn't written about it previously. Can't take credit for this one, but if you ever get the feeling its not worth it to type out a decent, informed, response just know that sometimes there actually are people reading who might learn something and gain from your knowledge. |
|
|
|
The money problem:
Its well known that one of the main problems for Fiat-money,is caused from the US-Dollar.
My subjective not 100% accurate view on it.
The US has forced the rest of the World, to accept USD as an World currencie, most currencies are strongly dependent on it.
For exampel:
• the Oil price is bind to USD Value
• the European Central Bank is forced to hold huge amounts of USD in Reserve.
• and many more….
If a new crysis is affecting the US, or they just want to buy some new weapons “to bring democracy to the World “. The US-Banks can just create money out of the air, the infaltion is shared around the World. Thier problem is solved and the Rest will pay for it.
Back to Bitcoin:
Why are we even define the Bitcoin Vlaue in USD? Why can u buy bitcoin with USD?.. something which can be created out of nothing at any time.
We need to get independ form The USD Value. The Euro would be a little bit better,Gold would be much better….. but still no solution.
How can we arcive this Revolution? Is it even possible before the big "FIAT-Player" decide to transfer their curupted Money to BTC?
.... Interesting post. I think one of the main reasons the US dollar was adopted as an international reserve currency involved the relatively high stability of the united states spanning decades. The US dollar achieved relatively low volatility in comparison to other nations. Also the USA has a lot of collateral which it could utilize to back the dollar in case economic events turn sour. The US dollar was viewed by many as being one of the most reliable, robust and stable currencies which played a role in its adoption as a reserve. Bitcoin, oil and other things being denominated in US dollars represent rates of exchange. I think if there ever is some type of revolution, its success will depend more on people contributing towards building that future, rather than tearing down, attacking or criticizing things which currently exist. If the revolution happens, we need the knowledge and wisdom to build it together. |
|
|
|
Would you buy a bitcoin to hodl if bubble explode some reason and a lot of people dumping their coins
lets say price per btc 1000-2000 would you buy?
.... Bitcoin priced @ $1,000 to $2,000 means something catastrophic happened. A $1k to $2k bitcoin means bitcoin has been banned in all major nations. It means the blockchain or another key system has been compromised. A major event would need to occur for bitcoin's value to decline that significantly. Some hold the view that if bitcoin declines to $1k down from $14k, it means the price will immediately jump back up to $14k. That doesn't necessarily happen.  Large declines in value come with loss of confidence and a type of doomsday, apocalyptic, atmosphere. When bitcoin crashed from $1400 down to $300 many thought it was the end. The price wasn't going back up anytime soon. I think that would be the outlook if bitcoin's price crashed again like it did near 2014. |
|
|
|
|
Show Posts
