"BITCOIN CASH IS BITCOIN NOW."
Issued by Li Ang, head of China-based bitcoin mining outfit Canoe Pool, the proclamation may not be distinguishable from typical cryptocurrency banter. However, the difference this time around is the context.
No idle statement, Ang's comment comes amid what can only be characterized as one of the biggest migrations of capital yet seen in the nascent asset class. Billions are on the move in the crypto markets, and it's plainly observable where the funds are headed.
After hitting a record high above $800 on Friday, the price of bitcoin cash, the alternative cryptocurrency forked from the bitcoin blockchain in August, has doubled within 24 hours, hitting a high of $1,856 according to figures from data provider CoinMarketCap. At that price, bitcoin cash is now valued at more than $30 billion, passing ethereum for second-place standing in the market.
The move follows the sudden decision this week by a group of businesses and mining pools to suspend an effort to change the rules of the bitcoin software. Called Segwit2x, or simply "2x" by some, the effort would have increased bitcoin's block size – one way by which its transaction capacity can be measured.
But while bitcoin's developers and technologists lauded the suspension, miners and entrepreneurs lamented what they described to CoinDesk as a decision that would inspire others to migrate to blockchains more accommodating to their ideas and ideals. And if it was unclear at the time which alternatives would win favor, bitcoin cash is already proving the primary beneficiary.
Early and active in migrating support appears to be bitcoin's miners.
According to data from Fork.lol, at roughly 4:30 UTC on Sunday the total amount of mining power backing the bitcoin cash blockchain surpassed that of the bitcoin blockchain.
https://www.coindesk.com/confusion-euphoria-bitcoin-cash-30-billion-2000/
