Well, IMHO, the Litecoin pump in price has something to do with the 1) the XRP slap down of proposed regulations 2)Litecoin on PayPal and 3) GrayScale Litecoin Trust.

With, the GrayScale Litecoin Trust, IMHO, responsible for just about everything, price-wise, for Litecoin, from $85 on up!

I mean, the GrayScale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) sells institutional grade/legal Bitcoin stock? (not quite what to call this) securities? at 20% or more markup (I think this is correct)

 just to get into the fund, over the BTC price.

This allows GrayScale to pump GBTC and make more wealth from adoption/investors to buy even more BTC and the FOMO and price

pump reflected in Bitcoin. Supposedly GrayScale has 'currently' 70% of all 'institutional investment' Bitcoin.

So, I think this article was December 7th, 2020....what did folks think were gonna happen, when after the success of the GrayScale BTC trust..when they now offer

a GrayScale Litcoin Trust!

Take profits/buy more LTC at 20% markup/LTC Grayscale trust securities go up/LTC goes up ..take profits ..re-put into LTC and Rinse/Wash/Repeat

This can only go on so long unless other players jump into this kinda thing as well (pretty sure this will start happening soon for LTC/BTC and/or other altcoins)

I just hope that 'someday' at LEAST Litecoin will be more than Craig Wright's Bitcoin SV, the 'fake' Satoshi...I mean it is just embarrassing that LTC is less than BSV..

I'll know LTC is in a 'safe' spot no matter the price, as long as it  'someday' becomes more than the sh*tcoin Bitcoin SV.

(good to have goals)

anyway, IMHO, why we are seeing Litecoin pump..this GrayScale Litecoin Trust and probably PayPal allowing to you buy LTC on top of this...also adds to the LTC pump!

time will tell

Brad

Yeah, I should probably sell some Bitcoin, but I got my stuff at a 'low' (gasp) price...so pretty much any I sell will almost be completely done in by cap gains of at least 15% plus

my 10% state taxes or a 25% hit. Thus, the bet is ..should I sell now..keep cash for the Bitcoin price dip that will come 'eventually'? But on the other hand, the Bitcoin price would

have to dip below 25% of current market value (if I sold some now) before I'd simply just break even by HODL'ing. Thus the issue, I assume Bitcoin will do its usual thing, of dumping

like 30-35% and I will shout what I usually shout at the laptop. "Bitcoin, you merciless BITCH!" and toss something in the general area of the closet. (Hey, 'Tradition' is important!)

But again, where/when will Bitcoin break at? If I had to bet a basket of kittens lives on when the break would have happened it would have been about 19K Bitcoin! Shows, what

I know, I'd be knee-deep in dead kittens by now!

So, in that I NEVER, EVER in the 7 years I've been in Bitcoin, guessed correctly on selling on the expectation of a dip in BTC price, I will simply HODL and 'eat' the 'dip' when

it happens and Bitcoin always has, so far, blundered back and beyond the price I coulda/shoulda/woulda sold anyway...so this will copy the same pattern.

Just a skill I have at 'selling altcoins' back in the day mining for Bitcoin at the wrong time and buying 'dubious' ASIC miner equipment, etc. Hey, it's a skill!

Well, no more mining, no amount of any note of altcoins, so I have at least limited my 'danger' of selling on my 'supposed' hunch 'dip' to only break even on  Bitcoin I now

sold at the 25% tax loss anyway, neither my timing of such nor my lack of balls, along with my

track record of ALWAYS being wrong 7-9 times in the past, meh! I think I'll just HODL now, even if it does the usual 30-50% dump and sideways for a year. (Bitcoin really

likes sideways..goes down like an elevator and up like taking the stairs!) Bitcoin: Like collecting Cats, the more you have, the more excitement!

So it goes. We will see, but IMHO, this FOMO we see with GrayScale and others is mainly 'institutional money' if not just GrayScale proper...WTF is gonna happen when

FOMO hits in stride with the regular folk masses like at the previous ATH of 2017? Sheesh! Buckle up ButterCup.we may encounter a 'bit' of acceleration increase yet!

Bitcoin: Always Drama! (tm Bitcoin)

later

Brad

So, correct me if I am wrong....what GrayScale (and we hope others will do that are also investment trusts and will pile into Bitcoin/Crypto soon) is the following:

1) GrayScale Buys Bitcoin in mass quantities!

2) GrayScale then 'sells' Bitcoin through their Traditional Investment Trust branch/market ticket price of GBTC at around a 20% markup? (I think that is the figure?)

3) Investors pile into this via their 'brokered' and 'managed' retirement accounts, investment fund, whatever/whichever/more that they can do so legally, etc, etc. FOMO!

4) The price of GrayScale (GBTC) goes up also in value...above and 'delightfully' to GrayScale above the 20% markup they already have for 'overhead'...$$$ roll in!

5) They now have 'suddenly' another Billion dollars flushed out into GBTC that they turn around and buy even more BItcoin with! Rinse/Wash/Repeat as long as adoption holds.

So as long as there is 'demand' through this 'traditional' marketplace to get GBTC vs Bitcoin direct..they can play this game a long time. That is 'until' others

also, chime in and this kinda thing is more common and distributed more widespread...rather than GrayScale getting the majority of traditional $$$ with this method. Or any

so it seems, God knows what is going on that we can see for buy pressures right now!

Well, correct me above and/or add some 'tweaks' and maybe 'subtlety' to the above...but as a 'rough' framework..this is how this little pump machine is working

for GrayScale at this time. Sheesh!

Note the link below:

https://decrypt.co/resources/gbtc-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-grayscale-bitcoin-trust

Also from the above link it states that GrayScale 'owns' 70% of all Bitcoin held publicaly by traded companies. 12/17/2020.

quote:

How much Bitcoin does GBTC own?
It trades under “GBTC.” The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust holds 546,544 Bitcoin, or 70% of the 775,137 Bitcoin held by publicly traded companies, according to Bitcointreasuries.org.
Dec 17, 2020

unquote.

So, there is a 'danger' here...in that, we need 'more' publicly traded companies to step up and along with GrayScale 'pump' and HODL like GrayScale does. If not, there

may come to a point in the risk/reward calculations amount to too much they will stall/take profits/or cut back in buys...at that point, others need to step up or

of course a 'probably' 30% correction downward in price.....as my guess. I assume..that others will FOMO and pile in but we will see!

Brad

Well, what do folks think? Is GrayScale, as the article below states, the only real driver of Bitcoin price approaching $25,000.00 USD?

Really? You'd think there would be some more 'copycats' piling on than the few I see. But you really, really, have to admire GrayScale's 'Big Brass Balls',

in how they bought 16,000 BTC like 2 'frigging' days before Christmas. But the question is, are they just at the lead of the pack of institutions jumping in?

Or are they an 'outlier' and simply gonna fade when they are full up on cheap Bitcoin and this is their long term strategy..even if they cause Bitcoin to dump

30-35% with the massive buys they've been doing.

Article below:

https://www.investopedia.com/grayscale-trust-gbtc-is-key-to-bitcoin-price-jpmorgan-5093550

I particularly like this quote below:

quote:

JPMorgan's strategists write that the inflows into GBTC "are too big to allow any position unwinding by momentum traders to create sustained negative price dynamics." In other words, investor enthusiasm for GBTC shares is a determinant of Bitcoin's price trajectory, and other Bitcoin traders do not possess sufficient market share or Bitcoin holdings to influence a correction in the cryptocurrency’s price.

It is difficult to gauge the extent to which GBTC influences Bitcoin prices (or vice versa) because there is little transparency to the Bitcoin ecosystem. The thin liquidity of the cryptocurrency's markets also adds to the problem. What is certain, however, is that GBTC shares benefit from a rise in Bitcoin price, enabling it to purchase more of the cryptocurrency for its holdings.

unquote.

I really like all of the above Grayscale news link above... but especially like the line of "JPMorgan's strategists write that "What is certain, however, is that GBTC shares

benefit from a rise in Bitcoin price, enabling it to purchase more of the cryptocurrency for its holdings.

I mean frigging really, rinse/wash/repeat? Also, is GrayScale simply the 'first' of many to come on board as Institutions looking at Bitcoin

and are simply 'late to the party as of now?" Gonna jump in with their own splash here soon?

Damn, I sure hope so. I'd love to see a mess of Trusts and Institutions scrambling to get into Bitcoin...in a mass FOMO first and then this would cause a mass

FOMO for regular folk to copy. That would be the best thing ever.

Well, chump or champ, we will be the first to know I guess. But never expected this over kinda play at these Bitcoin prices over Christmas week...but it looks

like GrayScale anyway is not expecting a holiday dump in price from now till New Year's day or beyond.

Sheesh. This is a fun ride!

As usual, Boom or Doom we will be the first to know

Brad

OK....according to the article below (link) the following below really caught my attention.

https://www.investopedia.com/grayscale-trust-gbtc-is-key-to-bitcoin-price-jpmorgan-5093550

quote:

JPMorgan's strategists write that the inflows into GBTC "are too big to allow any position unwinding by momentum traders to create sustained negative price dynamics." In other words, investor enthusiasm for GBTC shares is a determinant of Bitcoin's price trajectory, and other Bitcoin traders do not possess sufficient market share or Bitcoin holdings to influence a correction in the cryptocurrency’s price.

unquote.

OK...I get it, but one wonders how much they are gonna push this price pump of Bitcoin until that 'burp' and are FULL! Or hell, is GrayScale just 'ahead of the curve'

as they have been all year, and simply ahead of another FOMO/ATH run of other investment giants also waiting to cannonball into the Bitcoin pool?

So the question becomes, is this gonna be another run up to around $50K Bitcoin into 2021 as everyone piles in? Or is this simply the top now due to 'mainly'

ONE buyer of FOMO in mass: ie GrayScale Trust?

Well, what do you think, how far will GrayScale Trust go on all this, and/or will other investment giants jump in as well?

Consider taking the poll here.

Brad


 

Yeah, currently it is at the following and going up rapidly again...I mean I thought for 'sure' there would be a 'lag' or at least a sideways price on Bitcoin

through Christmas and New Year...or at least till like the middle of January say of 2021! I suppose there is time yet...but hardly anything like on 12/24/2018

I sold 13 BTC for real-life-issues (got 5 back but 8 down yet) for $3,900.00 USD. HAD to do so, allowed me with Altcoin dump to retire 3 years early and

hang out with my folks more regularly at the Assisted Living and eventual Nursing Home till they passed...but still...I mean really! Dang, that was only 2

years ago and 1 day!

So anyway, from what I can remember you don't see a pump on Xmas you see more of a sideways or a dump...if I remember correctly...so color me

confused. I suppose I should expect such with GrayScale Trust saying...screw that...and buying Bitcoin in mass 2 days ago.

https://coingape.com/grayscale-bitcoin-trust-gbtc-adds-12000-plus-btc-in-a-single-day-the-rally-has-begun/

I mean WTF!

Anyway, just an aside. I'll 'wait' till we push past (knock wood) $25K before 'posting' the supposed Bitcoin that would take for the next ATH...etc, etc.

A much better Xmas week than 2018...let me tell ya! (I still morn for my 'lost' 8 BTC I can likely 'never' recover at these prices...sigh..the horror...Ack!)

Brad


edit: by the by ...I really, really like the quote below from the link above:

quote:

JPMorgan's strategists write that the inflows into GBTC "are too big to allow any position unwinding by momentum traders to create sustained negative price dynamics." In other words, investor enthusiasm for GBTC shares is a determinant of Bitcoin's price trajectory, and other Bitcoin traders do not possess sufficient market share or Bitcoin holdings to influence a correction in the cryptocurrency’s price. 

end quote.

Would be nice to see a FOMO continue past 50k don't ya think? Hurry up boys and girls the BTC rocket is heading to the moon, don't ya know...sh*t we have

not even 'delved' even a little bit into FOMO for the regular BTC investor..it is all institutional FOMO at this point....sheesh!

So using the mechanism of this thread below, the current price (see time/date on this post) is:

www.coinmarketcap.com

Today's Date: 12/21/2020.

From the current price from Coinmarketcap!

Today's Time: See Forum Time On This Post!

Current Price: $23,529.90 USD.

Total BTC Needed: 42.50 BTC!

I 'was' thinking that we would go down over the Christmas and New Years Holiday. Right now I'm confused on what is going to happen. It

may be that the 'demand' for Bitcoin is just too high with GrayScale still going nuts this week!

https://beincrypto.com/grayscale-adds-3-billion-in-crypto-to-its-aum-in-one-week/

With also, PayPal and others and they may be trying to fill coffers out in 2020 in mass yet.

before some kind of consolidation or pullback on this fire sale buying of Bitcoin. The 'ways' of Bitcoin are mysterious to me!

But anyway, looking like, knock wood, probably 'jinx'ed' it by this post..that we may be in for another run up to above say $25k before the end of

the year...yeah, sorry, likely 'jinx'ed' the pump and it will dump now....but so it goes in the land of Bitcoin/Crypto!

Brad

Benghazi Clinton was cleared by Republicans. Unless they are in on the take to. After 13 hours of personal testimony. 10 plus years investigated. 20 years

I think of Whitewater probe. If there was something there it would have been found. Myself, in the age of 'electronic email' and 'electronic documents' I think

a lot, and I mean a lot, of stuff will come out of a dubious nature from the Trump Administration....not a promise, but a guess...wait for it.

Trump and Family I'm afraid you will find much more corruption and such that Biden. Also Biden son's probe so far (two) has be concluded also by Republicans. As

to a Biden son's probe NOW I don't know yet. But as to Trump probes on Family/Himself...state/local/federal and past convictions..the Charity and the fake University

that track record at this point of time has anything Biden's son may have done 'beat' at this time. Also, even McConnell of the Senate has no issue with Biden's

honesty and work ethic..unlike what he says about AOC and others. Biden to my knowledge has never had an issue looked into of any kind since he has been in

public office. You may think his 'views' are misguided...but that is not enough to 'execute' someone.

You have to have some 'facts' man...you just can wish massive investigations for years against Hillary and such and don't like the outcome and then in 2021

say the investigations are crooked should they show more Trump issues with trust and profit and family...same process in a split government investigations

no one party has an advantage...not to mention the Republican States the Trump family is being investigated on. So maybe Biden's son does have issues

who knows...but so far TWO investigations have found nothing of note in a Republican Senate format.

Sounds less like 'facts' matter from your viewpoint than 'sour grapes'

Brad

OK...being somewhat confused about politics in the United States of America in the year 2020...is confusing at the best/worst of times in the Covid-19

Pandemic and all and the split...down the middle...of the right and left in the USA.

But being a 'long-ago' Political Science major (1980) from back in the day...I'm really, really confused on why the Republicans, simply from a

basis of 'political self interest' do NOT support the $2,000 to individuals with the actions of the own President Trump providing them with 'perfect cover'

to do so.

From a politician's point of view it is frigging perfect...they just got though in the current (IMHO somewhat lame) current Xmas stimulus bill all they could

ever want for their constituents with $$/wealth/power and money. They cleaned up. The democrats pretty much  had to take 'something' at this point.

Then, like a 'gift from god' Trump comes along and says a $2k is needed instead of the $600...what is this, like 1 more Trillion?

It is not like there is NOT no matter the circumstances NOT going to be another stimulus package in 2021 and indeed a big one if the democrats take

the 2 Senate seats from Georgia...thus from political self interest alone...Trump provides ALL Republicans with the 'perfect' method to show

that they do give a damn about the low and middle class and they have cover with the others in their party that already in the bill got their way

with Trump as cover. The line....well...initially we did not want to add $2k but with the presidents backing we could not do so and such...and you

wealthy donors/corporations/etc have got your part of this already...so we had to take the cover for political reasons with this or get just

'creamed' on our next re-election. You understand. So for once they could have tossed Trump under the bus and had their cake and eat it too!

You always, try to walk away pleasing everybody that in your state or district..this bill as it exists from the Republican point of view with the $600

does that..the base is secure..all is frigging well....allowing Trump to make it $2k means everyone in  your state or district now thinks you are a

wonderful fellow..it is basic bread and butter politics....bring home the bacon..it is like politics 101 with NO downside for a Republican.

So is it because, due to demographics/youth millennials/generational issues/class warfare..that this can't be done or spun to their advantage? The

idea that this is the 'last hurrah' of the Republican party for a generation due to changing demographics...so FU is the norm?

Without allowing such...if Republican's lose the Senate Seats in 2021...they will get beat to death with a big stick with this issue of not

going along with Trump on this..in that they got everything else..and again...IMHO...'political cover' from those who otherwise would have

beat them up on going above the $600. It also does not bode well IF the Senate 'keeps' wins the 2 Georgia elections in that it again solidifies

that they are cruel and the party of special interests....so again, really bad play from what I can tell from the other side....this is a classic

political rariety of having your cake and eating it too. Go figure.

Consider taking the poll.

Brad

Well, don't tell us what you really think! I mean all the stuff Trump has done and you still think Hillary...a former Senator is the problem? Really? 13 years of investigations

concluded by Republicans saying they had no evidence of wrongdoing? 
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/12/hillary-clinton-most-exonerated-politician-ever/

The above link is from that 'most' Liberal of Newspapers...the...gasp! Wall Street Journal!

Also, Biden should be 'executed' for what reason, being a former V.P. and Democratic Senator? Damn, if that is the criteria I hate to think what you

think will happen if the two Senate races coming up and the Democrats 'flip' the Senate.

Like most things on the far right, completely 'overblown'. As an example the 'Gay's getting married is gonna end the world arguement' meh!

It happened, they got married and became 'mostly' old married couples. I assume all this doom and gloom will amount to the same by the far right.

As to the topic here, it won't come to Trump leaving the country, Biden may 'hate' to do so, but for the good of the country he will pardon Trump IMHO

rather than tear the country apart of Trump leaving the country to avoid going to Prison.

So I leave you with this, give it 6-9 months of Trump out of office...sure people will disagree...but this 'end of the world talk' will go away quickly

I'd imagine along with the kindergarten antics of the Trump Adminstration.

Brad

So the 'dubious' premise of this thread is:

"Would Donald Trump go overseas to some nation to avoid going to Prison in the United States of America!

Hard to believe I'm even posting this about a soon to be former President of the United States, and again 'dubious' but if YES

where would he likely go, if he decided to BOLT and the unlikely option of NOT getting a pardon if it ever came to that dire a point?

of placing an ex-US President into Prison? (note: Poll on this thread)

This article/link I got from Wall Observer and JimboToronato on Bitcointalk and his post here below with the original link.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=178336.msg55922109#msg55922109

...so thought I'd expand this into a thread in the Politics & Society area of Bitcointalk.

Here is the link:     https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/in-a-bid-to-avoid-prison-where-might-donald-trump-run/
  
The top two countries are Russia (groan) and the UAE or the United Arab Emirates.

The winner in the above link is the UAE with Russia a close second. The UAE has 'extensive' Trump dealings with like Russia NO extradition to the USA.

But the 'edge' is to UAE which also had NO extradition to the USA but is a Tax Haven, plus as stated, Trump already does big business with the  UAE.

Again, this is all very dubious in likelihood...but then again...look at the past 4 years...so tossing this out here anyway.

Consider taking the poll!

Brad

Well, I did find it interesting ...a few years past ...when the Bitcoin Developers said they had a plan for IF they ever had to emergency 'hard fork' again due to some

unforeseen problems with the Bitcoin Blockchain Network. In other words, not only would they do the fix for whatever emergency that needed a hard fork of Bitcoin to

resolve..they had some 'tweaks' and 'improvements' in place to add with the opportunity if a hard fork happening. I am 'unsure' if block size would have been in

this batch of options on an emergency Bitcoin hard fork..but would not be surprised if it was so.

But again, is there not just enough devs? or development $$$...because the bigger the project the more you need both. From what I understand the last ATH

bitcoin had 1 million users/adopters and now it has 100x that....so, something has to play catch up at the development end in either more people as devs

more money tossed at the problem..or both. Also to the 'price' of Bitcoin...leads to the 'status quo' bias:

https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/status-quo-bias/

I mean it, change is hard, but the ratio of developers to the adoption of Bitcoin and movement on fixes/additions is still, IMHO, way, way too slow.

Brad

Like all things Bitcoin the 'god-like' (in their minds anyway) Bitcoin Devs will fix such if that is the case...they have stuff ready to go that they may not want

to implement at yet or at all but will do so if they have to, IMH0. I remember posts by Bitcoin Developers that they had some 'hard fork' fixes ready to go if they

ever had a 'hard fork' like the last time (or one time) they had an 'unexpected one' ..that would be quite the wrench in the Bitcoin Universe. but people would adapt.

They will, however, continue to be, IMHO, way to conservative on fixes/additions/etc to Bitcoin Development, and the higher the Bitcoin prices ..the more hesitant they

will become, again IMHO. But again, they have yet to impress me and get Taproot out promptly. So we will see.

Brad

Yeah, the problem is that Bitcoin Devs drag their feet slowly IMHO. But Litecoin Devs are even worse for getting stuff out the door.

Mimblewimble is an example, you'd think they could do more than one thing at a time. The supposed LTC RPG game Litebringer is quite the 'joke'

download and play it, to see what I mean, it would be more fun as a cardboard cutout game that could do the same thing. Also, I wish they would

do more than one thing at a time..all efforts are in Mimblewimble and that is just one guy..the rest is just noise.

Also, I keep getting emails saying that I can use an LTC blockchain card now from the Litecoin Foundation....despite my repeated attempts to tell them

that the account they say I can use is not activated for me to even add Litecoin on to. Also remember, I'm a moderator on litecointalk.io and

have gotten 'no traction' on this. Gave up after months of trying, like many others I suspect. So I like LTC, I have a significant amount..but they always

seem to just do Bitcoin Core upgrades to Litecoin and can't seem to do more than one project at a time.

I also 'wonder' if Mimblewimble will even be legal in the USA with the new treasury private wallet action with exchanges and the treasury going after Moreno

etc. They could get this done and find out it is not workable in the USA. We will see, but again, if Bitcoin devs are cautious ...Litecoin devs IMHO are just plain

terrified to add significant code outside or bitcoin core patches...i was impressed about Mimblewimble that IMHO took some balls..but slow progress

and again treasury regulations may make that a no-go. We will see. I know zip better minds than me can argue stuff. But I'm still stunned from 3-4 years

ago that Craig Wrights Bitcoin SV (BSV) has been, over time, 2x to 3x the Litecoin price...so I've been confused about how that sh*tcoin and the above

stuff going on with Litecoin for a long, long time.

Brad

Again, I think Musk is simply 'scared' of Bitcoin to a 'very, very, mosquito bite, small extent'. Tesla Stock is probably the 'closest' thing to

a Bitcoin return since the 3x price increase of Bitcoin since 1/1/2020 price of $7,201.96 USD on 1/1/2020 according to WorldCoinIndex site www.worldcoinindex.com.

Now of course the current price is $23,827 USD which again, is 3x more in price as of today 12/22/2020! Sheesh! Smart Billionaire misses the boat on this one!

So, IF, Bitcoin did NOT ever exist, it can be said that Tesla would be even bigger in 'value' compared to everything else. Thus he is just doing 'sour grapes'.

The 'good news' is MANY, MANY multi-billionaires over the past few years that have started out 'scoffing' at Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency and now have been eating CROW in 2020.

In hindsight, for 2020 alone, NO matter who you are, or around on say 12/24/2020 when Bitcoin was about $3,900.00 USD (I should know I had to sell 13 BTC for real-life reasons...I got

5 back but still have 8 BTC that 'got away' so to speak from the hodl/hoard). I remember, due to my real-life issues people even that December of 2018 were giving Musk a bad time

and he should get Bitcoin as a Christmas deal. So looking back, like all these multi-billionaires do..thinking they are smart and all...it still has to frigging hurt like hell

looking at this year's 3x Bitcoin pump in price and not buying any....and trying like the rest of us to jump in now or buy more or what?

Though, to be truthful, knowing Musk...he may already have a  Billion dollars in Bitcoin/Crypto from back in the day and is laughing his ass off with his deception...

by acting like he does not have anything of the sort. IF so, this is how I'd do such, so if so, again, well played, well played indeed! If not I'm sorry for your loss.

Anyway, we will see, nice to think however that some of us 'saw the light' and held our hoard/hodl of BTC/Crypto from long, long ago and at least in crypto beat at least

'some' of the supposed 'smart money' folk of the 'last decade'. So it goes....would be nice though if he just 'plopped' a billion dollars into Bitcoin, don't ya know though!

Brad

I've only ever been screwed with Bitcoin by selling such or getting miner products with such. I've been in Bitcoin/Crypto since 2013 and can say 'except' for my very first

2013 KNC BTC Jupiter 550gh ASIC Miner...and everything 'before' 2015...I could have just as well just kept Bitcoin/Crypto. In 2015 I had a 'set' amount of Bitcoin..that I used

to bo 'big' into large scale ASIC crypto mining of both BTC and Scrypt and other Altcoins. I probably made 3/4 of the hoard I had in Bitcoin that was 'set' in 2015 as a

result of flipping BTC into such 'heady heights' of Bitcoin/Crypto ASICs and their 'babysitting in 'other states' large data halls, etc. Then there was the 'big crash in

Bitcoin price at the end of 2017...I think it was, or 3/4 of it all went 'poof'. So as a result now, besides an amount (modest) I took out of Bitcoin (13 BTC of which I got 5

BTC back) due to 'retiring from my job' and having more time to hang out with my aged parents before they passed away, etc. I almost exactly (if you remove the 8

BTC above for retiring 3 years early) down to that Satoshi Dust 'almost' the exact amount of Bitcoin/Crypto I had in 2015, before going 'big' into ASIC miners, etc.

It was a hell of a lot of fun, had not had so much fun since my University days, all very bracing and thrilling, all that money and crypto too and fro..and all those

dozens and eventually more of ASIC machines as well. But in 20/20 hindsight, I coulda/shoulda just kept the 2015 hoard and left it alone and there would be no

the difference in the amount of BTC/Crypto I have now, again, after the massive crash from the ATH of $19k to I think the low was $3.2K in 2018 or so. Of, course

on such 'droppage' Bitmain and me and everybody 'got screwed' big time. So I should be thankful I came out 'even' and at least had a 'fun' experience.

Thus, I tell folk now to sell stuff in the attic you will otherwise die with on eBay and buy BTC dust. In case BTC/Crypto does its usual 5x/10x/16x increase in value.

Also, to HODL for 5-10 years. Actually, HODL for 10 years and only (like my case) take BTC/Crypto out for real-world issues like mine above or health or other

issues. So NO..you should HODL. Again, if it is money you can 'afford to lose' like eBay sales of JUNK as my above example. Even though it was necessary

to sell the 8 Bitcoin at $3,900 USD, it still 'stings' to this day. So if you HODL for 10 years or so, or even 5 years if you must at least have a 'reason' to sell.

If Gold is 10 Trillion dollars worldwide..and currently Bitcoin alone is around 1/2 Trillion dollars worldwide, then if Bitcoin alone gets to 1 Trillion that is around

$55,000.00 USD Bitcoin. So, as a speculative game, and money you can afford to lose (attic sales to eBay than to BTC) we may not even have gotten started

yet. Pick your battles, only buy BTC/Crypto with what you can afford to lose, and in this case, a bit of sale of junk now for BTC dust could pay off big time yet in 10 years.

Brad

Yep, that is how centralized power and the status quo works (some countries status quo may be ok...not so much in some banana republics...it depends)

so gov't/status quo/banks/wealthy/powerful status quo will push and push, and 'mostly' get frustrated...

Bitcoin was made in a 'decentralized' format for a reason and international use and as an alternative to

centralized power/money and finance...so again, some regulations may be there....like I said in/out from fiat and back in/out to Bitcoin...on say exchanges...only

beyond that massive pushback..and indeed...remember al bank coins and gov't cons, etc will always be 'centralized' (can add money like a federal reserve) and/or

based 1 to 1 to say USD or whatever..thus the same inflation that applies to printing money would apply to the centralized gov't currencies.

Thus, in such a scenario of economic downturn, people would still turn to decentralized Bitcoin/Crypto to get around inflation and/or the printing of more virtual coins

with in either case 'diluting' the value of centralized bank coins or 1-1 to fiat coins or gov't coins. The reality would always shine through when the market forces

of the world tank. So even if such digital currencies of a centralized or gov't nature above are made..when times are hard everyone will still run to Bitcoin/Crypto

that is decentralized ...just like now with fiat when it all hits the skids all currencies lose ground to the US dollar. This is the 'genius' of Satoshi!

Brad

We have 'slippage' from the new  ATH! (To be expected...will we get past the new ATH again, time will tell!)

www.coinmarketcap.com

So taking this further, according to Coinmarketcap the 'new' All-Time-High (ATH) was $24,053.25 USD! From 12/20/2010.

So using the mechanism of this thread below, the current price (see time/date on this post) is:

Today's Date: 12/21/2020.

From the current price from Coinmarketcap!

Today's Time: See Forum Time On This Post!

Current Price: $23,213.79  USD. Sheesh! What a ride so far!

Total BTC Needed:  43.08  BTC!

Considering the previous ATH was on 12/18/2020 and was $23,586.21 USD!

So 'unless' you are stuck on the last ATH of $24,053.25 (yesterday for crying out loud) 12/21/2020 and such makes you sad! (wimp)

we have not really lost in USD anything scary or drastic of any means.

So it goes. I do suspect the next two weeks the price of BTC/Crypto 'will' go down till about a week past New Years 1/1/2021

just because people/institutions/etc will be distracted by the Holidays. But I'd sure like to be wrong about such!

As always, 'Chump or Champ' or 'Doom or Boom' or 'Pump or Dump'

we all on Bitcointalk will be the 'first to know'

Brad

probably for now..but remember Bitcoin 'loves' to go sideways for 1/2-3/4 a year at best ..if not down...also it loves 30-35% price corrections in the down column as well...

Bitcoin..you 'merciless bitch' will even go down as low as 75% just for giggles a couple times. So the ONLY WAY to compensate for this volatile and complex speculative asset

is to just frigging HODL for no period less than 5 years, and I'd only do that in a real fiat or USD real life emergency or better yet 10 years. The 'long game' is the only way

to play any kind of speculation. BTC/Crypto is NOT an investment..it is speculation..it could go down 1/2 due to adoption worldwide and act like a traditional investment..it

could stay at current price now due to adoption and act like, again, a traditional investment of 1-2% per year or it could do what it has in the past and go from $22k now

up 5x/10x/16x etc. There's the fun don't ya know. Sell crap out of attic you may die will on eBay and buy Bitcoin.....what the hell, at worse you have an empty attic and

a rec room and your house goes up in value $15k or some such. But don't stop buying BTC dust at $22k BTC prices...because what are you gonna do if in 8 years it is $100k.

But Bitcoin will go down at least 30-35% this winter of 2021..count on it too much is screwed up ..IMHO everything will take a haircut from stocks to whatever 30-35% in

that the world is fighting a pandemic and recession and just plain, in the USA anyway, undoing IMHO a catastrophic last 4 years under Trump Administration and needs

a complete reset in that area as well. The sheer amount of work and uncertainty and 'adult'ing' or being an adult and stepping up to all this is gonna cause a backlash

of reality to folks.thus, again, I think everything is gonna take a haircut above. So do all such BTC/Crypto purchases with a 10 year plan or 5 years if you have real life

issues, like medical and have to sell some. Remember Bitcoin goes down like an elevator and goes up like your taking the stairs on crutches..it just is how it is...and

I point to our last pump to current ATH as proof!

Bitcoin: "You merciless Bi-Polar red hot mess bitch! Damn, your fun!"

Brad

Yeah, I am getting many calls from friends/family along the lines of 'why did you not make me and twist my arm to get BTC/Crypto ..back in the day!....I started in 2013..and

went through an 'actual' live about 8 friends 'intervention' in 2013 along the lines that Bitcoin was a cult (no altcoins yet) that ended up in a 'shouting' match that I was

naive..and no one talked to one another for around a month. Then when BTC tanked after the like $1.2k ATH in December 2013 or so...went through yet another such

thing (this one was un-organized) at a party...and much yelling I should sell at $200 and even more stupid in that it obviously was a pump and dump.

This is not even going with my 'family' where my mom yelled at me along the same lines on the phone.

Now I'm getting a 'revised' history of the above, no one seems to remember the shouting and sneering..go figure.

Also, they seem to think somehow I was not pro-active enough to get them to get some BTC/Crypto ..it usually goes along these lines,,,becasuse as a 'newbie' kool-aid

drinking 2013 almost to the point of door to door Mormon pounding to get people to listen...I know I tried to sell everyone till shut down at least 2x.

But anyway, a friend in the last week. "I asked about BTC/Crypto and you setting something up and you did not have the time" (how he remembers it)

me reminding him, was at his house. I go 'sure' we can whip up a Coinbase account www.coinbase.com in like 5 min or so (no KYC then) and make

a paper wallet and first we should start the virus checker. Naw, did not want to sign up on a 'cuboids' BTC/Crypto exchange even though only password and email

to look about, did not want to set up printer ...really did not want to run the virus checker, probably because he never bothered and embarassing.

Man, I"m getting a lot of this going on in the last week

you should buy now because as speculation it is

1) going to dump 1/2 the price it is now having 'met' adoption ceiling and then act say like traditional investment at 1-2% a year growth...worse case.

2) going to stay at the price it is at any particular day/time you ponder such things as speculation and stay this price with adoption and go up 1-2% a year growth same as (1).

3) going to do what Bitcoin/Crypto has done in the past and go up 5x/10x/16x from the $22k price it is now.

Just saying, sell crap in the attic you will otherwise die with, on eBay and buy BTC/Crypto..just in case (3) is the real deal......and even (2) ain't bad

as to (1) above never forget buying BTC/Crypto is 'speculation' it is not 'investment' so only put in what you can afford to lose.

Brad