Each stablecoin comes with its risks. After all, they're not backed by the government. You'd need to trust the issuer of the stablecoin (in this case the private company in control of the stablecoin) to maintain the 1:1 peg with the USD "forever". If the issuing company faces bankruptcy or the bank with the USD reserves collapses, you can say bye-bye to your investment for good. USDT has been lucky to maintain its USD peg for long.

On the other hand, USD Coin lost its peg for a short period of time. To be on the safe side, just cash out directly to Fiat (usually to USD) whenever possible. Who knows how low will the crypto market go after USDT's collapse? Just my thoughts

Indeed. Litecoin is one of the most decentralized cryptocurrencies you can find on the market. The problem is that investors are not that interested in decentralization these days. As long as a coin makes them money, nothing else matters. If there's one thing that's holding Litecoin back, that is innovation. There are other cryptocurrencies with better features than LTC itself. Such coins usually have smart contracts functionality and a different consensus mechanism aimed to improve scalability.

These days it's all about the metaverse, AI, NFTs, and "meme" coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. Unless Litecoin brings something "new and exciting" to the masses, don't expect market prices to go anywhere soon. Our only hope is for BTC to get bullish again for major altcoins (including LTC) to go all the way to the moon. Maybe someday LTC will be worth $1k? Just my opinion

That's precisely what's holding crypto back. By bringing back the middleman, crypto won't be able to achieve its full potential. It's like going back to the era of banking. Wasn't Bitcoin created as a response to banks' failures? Trusting a centralized exchange would be no different than trusting banks with your money.

If people only used decentralized alternatives, crypto would've defeated banks by now. Don't expect CEXs to disappear, even though the collapse of FTX had a negative impact over crypto market prices. CEXs will only become bigger and stronger than ever. Especially now that regulators are weighting on the industry. Who knows if someday FTX makes a comeback? Just my thoughts

Indeed. Unlike Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies, Monero has a steep learning curve. It uses three keys instead of two (spending key, view key, public key). Additionally, Monero wallets ask users how many "mixins" they want before making a transaction (the higher the number, the more anonymous your transaction will be).

I guess that's why Monero is not as widely-adopted as other coins (aside from the fact that it's a privacy coin often attacked by governments themselves). It's likely XMR will end up being traded solely at decentralized exchanges and P2P trading platforms due to fierce government regulations. As long as it's able to stay private and decentralized forever, there should be nothing to worry about. Just my opinion

I think the SEC's aggressiveness towards crypto/Blockchain tech is what refrained Coinbase from launching a token of its own. Once SEC chairman Gary Gensler is removed from office, Coinbase will have the "green light" to do this without restrictions. That is assuming the new chairman is crypto-friendly. If there's too much trouble, Coinbase could move its operations elsewhere (probably a country like Hong Kong or the UAE).

For now, the Base network is doing fine as a L2 scaling solution for Ethereum. People can finally enjoy lower fees and faster speeds without having to move to an alternative blockchain network that's centralized (eg: Binance Smart Chain or Solana). I'm pretty sure airdrop hunters are waiting for Coinbase to launch its own token just to cash in the rewards. However, the company could decide to exclude these entities to help prevent abuse of the system. Who knows what will happen within 1-2 years from now? Just my thoughts

Couldn't agree more with you, mate. The market is being heavily-manipulated as we speak. Not only big investment companies are doing it, but also governments themselves (especially the US with the SEC). They want BTC to crash real hard to buy lots of coins at a discount. It's likely these entities are waiting for the BTC halving to occur, before "pumping" market prices all the way to the moon. If you're smart, you'd follow their footsteps by buying as much "cheap" BTC as possible. Sooner or later, Bitcoin will reach a price of $100k per coin. Even higher, if demand continues to soar at an unprecedented rate.

I think the real trigger for a bullish market will be the swift recovery of the global economy. Central banks like "The FED" and the "ECB" need to stop raising interest rates for everything to get back to normal. At least, a new normal since the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic are still an on-going crisis. Who knows what the future holds for Bitcoin? Just my opinion

I wouldn't say that Solana has a strong community. Rather, it's an "overhyped" cryptocurrency with a huge number of followers behind it. FTX was heavily-invested in this coin, but it ultimately failed. There are rumors the defunct exchange will dump its SOL holdings on the market. This will add negative pressure over the cryptocurrency's short-term price.

Whenever Solana will survive the tide or be left behind in the dust is yet to be seen. I'd choose other alternatives that are much more reliable and decentralized than Solana itself. It's not about speed or cost-efficiency, but rather security/reliability/censorship-resistance. Most people don't care about this, as they're only looking to make a quick buck. It's up to you to determine whenever Solana is a good investment or not. Do your own research, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Who knows if Solana's days are numbered? Just my thoughts

I think we should blame central banks for this (particularly the FED). Rising interest rates, makes risky assets a less-attractive option to mainstream investors. Until inflation is put under control, don't expect market prices to rise anytime soon. At least, the crypto market is performing better than the stocks market. By far, BTC has been classified as the "best-performing asset of 2023". Once BTC goes up, altcoins will follow.

I'd suggest you buy prominent coins while they're still cheap. We might never be able to see such low prices again after the market turns bullish. Who knows how the crypto market will look like in the future? Just my thoughts

If FTX dumps its crypto holdings, you can bet the market will crash real hard. It'll be a great opportunity for anyone to "buy the dip" before prices go back up again. I have a feeling the negative effects will be short-lived, especially when many institutional investment companies are buying BTC like crazy (BlackRock, MicroStrategy, etc). $100k may just be the tip of the iceberg as the best is yet to come.

I think that once a spot Bitcoin ETF is approved in the US, the bull market will begin. The halving of 2024 could also have a positive effect over BTC's price, but without the ETF, there won't be enough momentum for the cryptocurrency to reach a new ATH. Who knows if buying BTC at current prices will make you rich soon? Just my thoughts

The thing is Ethereum still dominates a large portion of the crypto market. It may be slow and expensive to use, but it was the first blockchain network to introduce the concept of "smart contracts". You simply can't beat "The King". It's like saying Ripple or Solana will "beat" Bitcoin, when the latter started the whole crypto craze. This is called "first-mover advantage".

It's all about the use cases a cryptocurrency provides, instead of what shiny-new features it has. Hashgraph is fast and cheap to use, but its ecosystem is relatively small. It's also centralized, where only a few players get to dictate the future direction of the project. At least, we're not tied to a single option. Who knows how far will HBAR go? Just my opinion

Smart contracts on Bitcoin are a "fun experiment". But they won't be going anywhere, because there are other platforms out there (particularly Ethereum) with an established ecosystem of dApps, tokens, and services. Why "reinvent the wheel", when you can already use an alternative blockchain network for the deployment and execution of decentralized applications? People want to make money these days, so they will choose the platform with the most tokens for speculative purposes (that would be Ethereum). It's this reason why RSK and Stacks aren't very popular these days.

At least, the idea is there. Who knows what the future holds for Bitcoin? Just my thoughts

Exactly. Right now is a bad time to launch a new cryptocurrency or token into the market. Everything has been going downhill ever since the global economy went all the way down the drain. The FED announced its intentions to keep raising interest rates to battle inflation. Unless it stops, don't expect things to get better anytime soon. Once the crypto market turns bullish again, Coinbase might decide to launch a coin/token of its own for the Base network. By the time this happens, it's likely someone else replaced SEC chairman Gary Gensler. The US will be more flexible towards regulating crypto/Blockchain tech, allowing mainstream companies to get back into the game (particularly exchanges).

If there will be a token launch, it's best to "skip" the airdrop altogether to prevent abuse. There are too many airdrop hunters waiting to dump this token for good. A massive dump = lower market prices for the "Base" token. No one can predict the future, so lets hope for the best. Just my opinion

Liquidity will move to decentralized exchanges without a doubt. The real question is: Will Monero be valued the same? For what I know, institutional investors and whales are the ones who usually keep market prices afloat. An "outlawed" cryptocurrency would certainly scare away these people from getting into the game. This means less demand and a lower market price.

At least, Monero won't be going anywhere thanks to the way it was designed (decentralized and censorship-resistant). Who knows if Monero remains the sole privacy coin in the future due to strict government regulations? Just my thoughts

Exactly. Most people don't care about decentralization these days. All they want is to make money from crypto within the shortest time possible. It's all a matter of what's most convenient for them. I'm afraid Bitcoin-based smart contracts will remain a "niche" used only by a small few (particularly academics & tech enthusiasts). The vast majority of people will use centralized smart contract platforms like Ethereum and BSC. This is good for Bitcoin, because it will drive away "scam projects" and "shitcoins" (tokens) elsewhere.

If BTC were to be used heavily like ETH, fees would become utterly-expensive. Not to mention, transaction confirmation times will be even slower. Projects like RSK and Stacks are sidechains, so the impact on fees and confirmation times will be minimal. As long as everything stays "off-chain", there should be nothing to worry about. Who knows what the next big thing on Bitcoin will be? Just my thoughts

Exchanges always win. The ones who get "rekt" are none other than amateur investors and day traders. Just because a coin is listed on a prominent centralized exchange, doesn't mean it's worth the investment. You have to do your own research to determine what's best for you. A cryptocurrency with solid use cases, active development, and innovation has a higher chance of surviving in the future.

Unfortunately, the market is flooded with too many coins often driven by hype. I'm talking about "meme" coins, and centralized "shitcoins" like Ripple and Solana. It's all speculation these days. Most people don't care about this, as long as there's money to be made. Ultimately, the good projects will replace the bad ones as the crypto/Blockchain industry matures. As long as decentralization wins, there should be nothing to worry about. Just my opinion

One thing is certain, and that is BTC's purchasing power will increase over time. This will happen not because Bitcoin is a deflationary cryptocurrency, but rather because of Fiat's ever-rising inflation rates. Central banks are working hard to reduce inflation, but that doesn't mean they will eliminate it. Eventually, 1 satoshi will be equal to $1. The real question is when.

If the USD experiences "hyperinflation", it's likely we'll see 1 satoshi being worth $1 during our lifetime. We're heading into economic uncertainty, so anything's possible. Just keep buying and "hodling" BTC to see brighter days ahead. Who knows what surprises we'll find in the future? Just my thoughts

There's a lot of money at stake, so don't count on ETH becoming decentralized ever again. It's unfortunate, because the project stepped away from Vitalik's original vision of building a "Decentralized World Computer". At least, we have the original Ethereum blockchain by our side (Ethereum Classic). This last one still uses PoW as its consensus mechanism with a deflationary model just like Bitcoin (no more than 210m ETC will be mined). If the PoS version of ETH dies, ETC will carry on with Ethereum's legacy for the forseeable future.

With that in mind, there's no reason to be worried about Vitalik's death or disappearance. The project is open source, so anyone can "thinker" with it and make a new chain if things go south. Who knows where the community will lead ETH to? Just my opinion

Interest rates are good. But you should keep in mind that USDC is still a centralized stablecoin. There's no guarantee it will retain its USD peg forever. At least, it's a safer bet than going all in Tether (USDT). This last stablecoin had shady practices from the start (new units are created at will, the issuer is unable to prove it actually has the USD in its reserves, etc).

Its competitor (USD Coin) has managed to do pretty well in the midst of time. When several US banks collapsed during early 2023, USDC lost its peg. However, the issuer (Circle, Inc.) quickly used company funds to remediate the situation and make investors "whole again". That brought confidence into the stablecoin, leading it to where it is right now. With Coinbase behind it, I think it's going to last for quite a long time. Who knows if USDC beats USDT as the leading stablecoin in the crypto market sometime in the future? Just my thoughts

Bitcoin can replace traditional currencies (Fiat), but that will never happen. That's because governments won't allow something decentralized to dominate the mainstream economy. It will be less power for the government, and more control for the people. Despite Bitcoin's inability to replace Fiat, it's still the best thing around to protect your financial freedom. BTC can't be debased, confiscated, or frozen at will.

The fees are the only price you're paying to enjoy the benefits of decentralization and censorship-resistance. This is a lot better than having to use a heavily-manipulated currency (Fiat) that can lose its value anytime. The more people join the Bitcoin train, the faster Fiat will lose its dominance in the mainstream world. Some countries are beginning to adopt BTC as legal tender, so expect the unexpected. Who knows what the future lies for the cryptocurrency? Just my thoughts

True. But Coinbase might decide to create a separate organization (like a DAO) that would manage the token itself. This would take the SEC "off its tail". At least, that's what I think the company will do. For what I know, there are a lot of airdrop hunters waiting to "dump" the new token for good. If Coinbase decides to launch a native token for the Base network, it might decide to "skip" the airdrop altogether. That will preserve the token's value over the long term.

Whatever Coinbase decides to do with Base, you can rest assured it won't give up without a good fight. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has his days numbered, as pressure mounts from crypto industry players. Without him, the Base network won't have any obstacles from achieving its intended purpose. Who knows if it surpasses BSC in terms of network activity sometime in the future? Just my opinion