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Signals of Hope for Crypto Gold-Bugs? Renewed Signs that Gold-Linked Tokens Are Making Comeback

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Gold protected tokens like GoldFinX appears to be the best investment source for institutional and retail investors since they can be easily traced back to find its custodial asset backing its worth.

The current market perception for cryptocurrencies has been shifting recently, in a seemingly ever more positive direction, even with the global economy suffering massive blows from the prevailing pandemic. Facebook‘s Libra and JPMorgan‘s JPM coin are anticipated to launch in 2021; Bitcoin and other digital assets have emerged as top choices for investors due to their low correlation with other traditional asset classes. Since 45% of the UK companies have opted out not to pay dividends this year, as per the report of Investors Chronicle, traditional markets and institutions have shifted towards cryptocurrencies for refuge. At the time of this writing, the asset class has witnessed a 6% increase compared to 2013, with the adoption of non-cash assets reaching a whopping US$13.4 trillion net value.

It is becoming apparent institutional money is quickly finding more trust in this new market. Perhaps this could be linked to the spike in BTC computational power, establishing verifiable and systematic trust in the network’s underlying security. But there is also reason to believe a lot of the renewed interest in Bitcoin and other alternative digital currencies stems from the competition in a race to get ahead. Statista has revealed in its report that blockchain and the market for cryptocurrencies will rise exponentially on their way to becoming a US$23.3 billion economy by 2023. The trend will be primarily driven by the adoption of blockchain in the insurance and supply chain sector. Institutional investors, including asset management companies like Fidelity Investments, have launched Fidelity Digital Assets, and the New York Stock Exchange has launched a Bitcoin futures-exchange known as Bakkt. Ivy League University Endowment has also maintained a crypto-class investment portfolio lately driving the euphoria.

Recovery for  Cryptos in 2020 after Enchanting  Institutional Investors

Oil and other commodity prices have been slashed significantly in value during the pandemic causing notable moments of widespread panic among investors. As a result, equity investment firms are delegating their portfolio management to venture capitals, alternative investments (preferably cryptos), and private equity after the Fed decided to cut down on the interest rate and bring it down to almost zero.

This trend has primarily picked up pace since investors are looking for risk diversification and exploring non-correlated assets.  Thus, Bitcoin trends as a better opportunity cost for investments at the moment. The returns on Bitcoin in a year-on-year assessment show a 0.11 correlation related to Gold, which is at a lower trajectory. When we talk about other assets like the US and international shares, it is 0.15 & 0.14, respectively.

Real Vision Group CEO, Raoula Pal, said “possibly in the future, BTC could replace Gold as a store of value. BTC has gained 30.36% against the US$.” Investments from institutional investors like Square, Micro Strategy, and Stone Ridge have raised fresh optimism among investors to choose this as a preferred investment.

This trend has primarily picked up pace since investors are looking for risk diversification and exploring non-correlated assets. Thus, Bitcoin shows better opportunity cost for investments at the moment. The returns on Bitcoin in a year-on-year assessment show a 0.11 correlation concerning gold, which is at a lower trajectory. When we talk about other assets like the  US and international shares, it is 0.15 & 0.14, respectively.

This shows that Bitcoin has a close correlation with its ecosystem impact, instead of a near parallel investment portfolio, causing more investors to choose BTC over other portfolios. Thereby, pushing the market attention to cryptos at the moment, CAIA(Chartered Alternative Investment Analysts)  has predicted a growth rate of 18% to 24% for alternative investment portfolios by 2025. A 5% hypothetical investment diversification by retail and institutional investors would push the growth to US$670 billion. Whereas, seeing the present adoption during the pandemic, where BTC prices shot for the moon, a 10% alternative investment asset portfolio will push the market size to US$1.3 trillion.

Suppose institutional investors like ARK Invest, Coinshares, Fidelity Investments, Octonomics, and Arca jointly invest in BTC in the future collaboratively. In that case, it could unleash an unparalleled bull-run, and could easily dwarf the previous run of 2017, which was mainly led by retail and smaller venture capitalists, as opposed to this time around, which sees the entrance of big banks, hedge funds, and other wealthy, global institutions also joining the field.

With just Fidelity investing US$3.3 trillion AUM (Asset Under Management) taking a 5% hypothetical investment diversification state, the BTC market would see an influx of approximately US$165 billion. You can do the rest of the math for a joint AUM diversification to cryptos by whales and the likes of other big institutional investors that are getting a better taste for alternative investment strategies in Bitcoin, Blockchain, and related markets en-masse.  Besides, the launch of crypto exchanges and Dapps has simplified investment in cryptocurrencies pushing institutional money investments at exchanges such as CoinBase, American Exchange CEO Brian Strong claimed.

He tweeted, “Whether institutions were going to adopt crypto or not was an open question about 12 months ago. I think it’s safe to say we now know the answer. We’re seeing $200-400M a week in new crypto deposits come in from institutional customers.” Therefore, it wouldn’t be an understatement to mention that institutional investors are warming up after Alluva, ARK, Coinshare, Fidelity Investments, Octonomics, Arca, and Fidelity continue to paint the investment market in crypto colours in 2020.

How Stable Coins and BTC Have Been Included in Institutional Investors’ Portfolio?

There has been a splurge in the crypto adoption in the institutional investor’s portfolio after economies known for stringent regulations like the UK, Germany, and Switzerland have advocated for crypto exchanges. Their claims have been fortified post institutional investors like JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs have been seriously getting indulged in the crypto business. Nevertheless, they have their share of careful forewarnings concerning the growth of their portfolio.

Bitcoin has been highly volatile, and it may have too much of a risk involved to buy BTC for a pension fund portfolio. Still, investors have been interested in investing in crypto-funds because their volatility has also attracted opportunities when asset classes like stocks and bonds increasingly lie idle or depressed during the pandemic. Cryptos have a lower correlation with other existing investment portfolios incentivizing investments for institutional investors.

Their unhackable traits, which get strengthened by the network effect, increase the value share of crypto-based assets and drive institutional investors’ adoption. GrayScale has apportioned 1.7% of the total BTC supply in its GrayScale Bitcoin Trust. Their share has increased by 0.1% during the pandemic. It is expected that GrayScale will have roughly 500,000 BTC by the end of 2020, as reported by CoinTelegraph.

The rise in BTC has affected other cryptos as well, following stable coins where Tether ended up as the third-best performing cryptocurrency in 2020. But the unchecked minting of Tether has unsurprisingly acted otherwise. Instead of acting as a hedge against inflation, it has pushed the demand for BTC to an all-time high. 50 Institutional investors plan to aggressively take action on the BTC price dip where they will divert pension funds, insurers, family offices, and sovereign wealth funds to BTC after every dip. They anticipate regulations would become more evident and could fuel investments, thus driving purchase at the OTC. More than a third of institutional investors, or roughly 27%, affirmed purchasing BTC and other altcoins, up from the previous investment season of 22%. Even in Europe, 45% of institutional investors have diversified their portfolio and included BTC and other stable tokens in their wallets.

But with the current Bitcoin and gold boom compared to other assets, the question is how the market, especially the institutional investors, will react to the launch of Libra and Bitcoin adoption by PayPal.

How Will the Gold Supply-chain and Bitcoin shape Institutional Investors Perception Towards Cryptos?

Countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Turkey have responded positively to cryptocurrency adoption as their currencies have significantly devalued recently. As central banks and the Fed work on stimulus packages for the coronavirus pandemic, which actually means dollars will be printed out of thin air, we could well see a further downward spiral of fiat. At this time, assets like Gold and Bitcoin see bright days ahead since they are mined rather than being pegged or staked to existing tangible assets for minting.

Stalwarts in finance, like Visa and PayPal, have already given the go-ahead to allow staking and trading in  BTC, which means that it will be relatively simpler to convert the earnings to acceptable currencies. Bitcoin has turned bullish during the post-US election. As the market players and individuals still trust Gold as a store of value, it’s realistic to expect some will inevitably move towards gold-linked tokens that mimic critical aspects of real Gold without many of the drawbacks.

What Will Be the Contribution of GoldFinX in Stabilizing Portfolio Management during This Time?

GoldFinX is a smart solution that aims to transform the Artisanal mining industry completely. The GoldFinX token allows mines and remote communities in hard-to-service regions to rely on other forms of funding while accessing better education. They enable a revival whereby untapped gold mines can be vastly improved to operate without the devastating effects on the local and global environment through the present use of mercury and cyanide. In this model, the artisanal and small gold miners are funded to undertake the mining. Utilising the GoldFinX token over gold dust for payment, artisanal miners would benefit from the utility the token advocates for better working conditions and cleaner environment methods, safeguarding the miners. As the tokens are linked to gold accumulating in trustworthy custodial vaults worldwide, it improves the trust in these tokens.

Summary

“Everything that glitters is not gold” can be applied to many things, especially while seeing the unprecedented volatility that Bitcoin has shown ever since its worst bearish run of 2017. BTC’s volatility has been at an all-time high of 3% to 8% at the time of this writing. At this point, Gold’s average volatility stands at 1.2%. Gold protected tokens like GoldFinX appears to be the best investment source for institutional and retail investors since they can be easily traced back to find its custodial asset backing its worth.

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Author: James Fisher

James is an early Bitcoin investor and a long-time trader in the crypto market. He’s fascinated by the complex possibilities of blockchain and tries to make this topic accessible to everyone.



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Altcoin Rally Dimming Bitcoin’s Shine, Polkadot Gains 34% in One Week

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Polkadot (DOT) saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value.

Bitcoin bullish run looks to have come to a halt amidst an altcoin rally which has seen relatively lower coins put up impressive performances in the past few weeks. Bitcoin dominance is gradually fading as many experts believe the biggest digital coin is backing down as some top altcoin are showing strong “moves” or signals. 

Bitcoin hit an all-time high over the weekend, the third time its price has done so in just over 2 months. The price of the biggest digital coin touched $28,400 on December 27, before a lightning drop took it to $27,000 just hours of that incredible feat. 

Bitcoin failed to hold onto the $27,000 mark as its price further dropped to $26,000 a day after and is now testing lower levels centered on $26,000 as immediate support. Reports from crypto exchanges revealed BTC/USD trading at lows of $25,830 during the early hours of December 29. 

While Bitcoin has seen red over a couple of days, some altcoins are putting up impressive numbers, giving off signals of a strong altcoin rally. Despite XRP’s current issues, the altcoin market is showing glimpses of its glory days as some digital coins are poised to see major gains over the next couple of weeks. Ethereum (ETH) is at the forefront of the rally, with its price climbing above $700 for the first time since May 2018. 

Polkadot (DOT) also saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value. The coin is now the seventh-largest token by market cap. Kusama (KSM), a cousin of Polkadot, also saw its price gain 46% last week, pushing its price from $43.1 to $63. The digital token is currently trading at $56 but experts are adamant a breakout above $65 is possible as the token has rebounded off the 20-day exponential moving average ($50.90)

Speaking on the possibility of a long term altcoin rally, analyst Van de Poppe stated that altcoins are next in line to see greens. He added that the next “impulse wave” on Bitcoin next year should be able to take the market to $40,000 or $50,000, but until then, the possibility of a continuance altcoin rally is very much likely.

Although many factors could be in play with regards to the latest Bitcoin price dip, it’s recent fallout with Ripple’s XRP leads the way. Ripple was hit with a lawsuit from the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and subsequently suffered drops that left its price in a pit. XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is now trading at $0.20 as news broke that Coinbase, a major US cryptocurrency exchange has decided to suspend its trading from next month.

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Crypto fanatic, writer and researcher. Thinks that Blockchain is second to a digital camera on the list of greatest inventions.



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XRP Crashes Below $0.25 as Coinbase Announces XRP Trading Suspension

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Some of the popular crypto exchanges have announced XRP trading suspension following the SEC lawsuit. This is seriously going to hurt XRP investors’ interest over a long period of time.

XRP investors have met with an unfortunate fate. It has been a rocky ride for XRP investors as the cryptocurrency has been heading south after the SEC lawsuit. From its monthly high of $0.66 on December 1st, XRP has reduced to only 1/3rd of the price. At press time, XRP is trading 20% trading at $0.22 with a market cap of $10.3 billion. The latest price crash comes amid crypto exchange Coinbase announcing its plan to suspend XRP trading starting January 19, 2020.

Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewar writes that the latest suspension comes amid the SEC lawsuit against Ripple Labs. Also, in the official announcement, Grewar writes:

“We have made the decision to suspend the XRP trading pairs on our platform. Trading will move into limit only starting December 28, 2020 at 2:30 PM PST, and will be fully suspended on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at 10 a.m. PST. The trading suspension will not affect customers’ access to XRP wallets which will remain available for deposit and withdraw functionality after the trading suspension. We will continue to support XRP on Coinbase Custody and Coinbase Wallet”.

Coinbase joins Bitstamp as one of the top crypto exchanges to suspend XRP trading in recent times. There have been several other exchanges that have announced XRP trading suspension in recent times. Following the Coinbase announcement today, another major crypto exchange Crypto.com also announced its decision to delist the crypto asset.

The Road to XRP Recovery Isn’t an Easy One with Measures by Coinbase and Others

It looks like XRP’s road to recovery ain’t going to be an easy one! Over the last few years, the SEC has conducted a crackdown on several such crypto projects. Speaking to CoinTelegraph, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou said:

“SEC and Ripple will have their day in court with due process of law, so we shall not prejudge the case in the court of public opinion. It is of course likely that the case will take up much of Ripple’s attention and resources. […] We hope a clear precedent and framework emerge from these proceedings.”

Furthermore, the SEC has accused Ripple of selling unregistered XRP securities under Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1993. Also, the case will proceed further in the New York Federal Court. Todd Crosland, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange CoinZoom said that the lawsuit will have a long-lasting impact on XRP price.

XRP which has already been a laggard performer over the last two years will continue trading at lower levels even further. While institutional players have been betting big on crypto, they will refrain from having any exposure to XRP.

“Lack of institutional support will hurt liquidity. Institutions will not bet against the SEC, and will be unloading their positions and will avoid taking new positions in XRP until the lawsuit is resolved,” said Crosland.

The only hope for XRP currently is the appointment of new crypto-friendly SEC chairman Elad Roisman. Soon after filing the lawsuit complaint, previous SEC chairman Jay Clayton submitted his resignation. However, we don’t expect things to improve anytime soon.

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Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.





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Bullish and Bearish Bitcoin Price Predictions for 2021

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Despite bullish predictions for 2021, some experts believe that Bitcoin is not worth the hype and is poised to decline.

As the year runs out and Bitcoin records continuous new-highs, some crypto experts have revealed their 2021 price predictions on the top digital asset. With a market capitalization of over $501 billion, Bitcoin is currently down 2.64% after reaching its ATH and is trading at $2.877.

According to a finder.com survey concluded before BTC reached the $20,000 milestone, several crypto experts are confident that the king coin will continue to surge through mid-2021. Specifically, 58% of 47 experts said that the ongoing Bitcoin rally would continue till the first half of 2021.

2021 Bitcoin Price Predictions

In addition, the survey revealed that panelists are confident that the price of Bitcoin would have grown two times by the end of the coming year. However, 52% of the panelists believe that Bitcoin will record a shard loss after significant increases in 2021.

Per 2021 Bitcoin price predictions, the survey respondents said BTC would reach an average price of $51,951 per token. In November, Citibank analyst Tom Fitzpatrick noted that Bitcoin would hit $318,000.

Furthermore, Bloomberg analyst Mike McGlone predicted that Bitcoin would trade at $170,000 by 2022. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, he said:

“The key thing about Bitcoin this year is very simple- it just added a one to the front of the number. Remember, it was around $7,000 at the end of last year. What I’m worried about- if you look at the past performance, which is potentially indicative of the future, next year or two could add a zero to the back of the number.”

Earlier this year, Morgan Creek CEO Mark Yusko said that Bitcoin could trade at $100,000 in 2021 or 2022. In the interview, the CEO added that BTC could also climb $400 to $500k.

Despite several bullish predictions, detractors believe that Bitcoin is not worth the hype and is poised to decline.

On the 17th of December, Andrew Ross Sorkin said during his CNBC morning program that his price target for BTC is Zero. He added:

“Sometimes there’s something so absurd that you hardly know where to begin to make the argument.”

Bitcoin Records Continuous Highs

After Bitcoin reached a new all-time high on Christmas day, the top crypto asset has continued to pull in further gains. As of the 25th of December, Bitcoin had grown about five times since the year began and crossed $25,000. About 24 hours later, the price of Bitcoin jumped over $26,000.

On the 27th of December, Bitcoin became the first financial service to record over $500 billion in market valuation. BTC surged 10% on the day, climbing its most recent all-time high of $27,806 with 71% market dominance.

Crossing over $500 billion market capitalization, reports revealed that Bitcoin had surpassed several Wall Street financial firms. The financial giants include MasterCard Inc (NYSE: MA), JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM), Visa Inc (NYSE: V), PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL), and more.

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Ibukun is a crypto/finance writer interested in passing relevant information, using non-complex words to reach all kinds of audience. Apart from writing, she likes to see movies, cook, and explore restaurants in the city of Lagos, where she resides.



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