After yet another day of heated debate in Congress, Americans are awaiting confirmation of their second stimulus checks by Monday.
According to reports, both Democrat and Republican parties are now in agreement – the new relief package will include another one-time stimulus check of $1,200 per person (and $500 per dependent) for all individuals earning $75,000 or less. There have been other accounts that indicate the income requirement could be as low as $40,000, however.
As unemployment remains at over 11% and many of the states are considering rolling back their reopening plans, most of us are looking forward to this welcome relief. Although many recipients will rush to deposit their checks into savings for a rainy day, here are the reasons why you should consider investing your $1,200 into Bitcoin instead.
Coinbase: Bitcoin USD price chart. Time Stamp – 11:25PM EST, July 23, 2020.
Coinbase
Inflation
The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet has increased by approximately $3 trillion since the start of the pandemic in March, or 14.3% of the 2019 GDP. We are likely to see an increase of $2 to $5 trillion more before the end of 2020. Although the U.S. has the privileged position of supplying the ‘world’s reserve currency’ making the U.S. Dollar in high demand during the pandemic, inflation is likely to catch up in the next 2-3 years, making your $1200 world less than before. Bitcoin, however, is a non-inflationary asset, with a finite amount of 21 million units, that has increased in price and adoption since its creation in 2009.
Hedge Against Wall Street
Wall Street is experiencing an unprecedented and unexpected boom during a crisis, decoupling from the Main Street economy. The value of the American stock market today is approximately $35 trillion, while the U.S. GDP has decreased to below $21 trillion. Many argue that this is the perfect recipe for a crash. Bitcoin provides a hedge against traditional markets as an uncorrelated asset.
Price Appreciation
Born on January 3rd, 2009, Bitcoin has steadily appreciated in price. An investment in bitcoin five years ago, yielded a 3300%+ return. While investing in the beginning of 2020, would yield a 38% return to date. Although Bitcoin can be volatile and is considered a risky investment (do your own research!), it has outperformed many of the traditional assets in the long term.
Institutional Investors Are Doing It
Once a fringe asset no one really understood, some of the biggest hedge funds and family offices globally are now investing in bitcoin. Established university endowments like Harvard, and billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones, have are buying bitcoin to diversify their portfolios.
“At the end of the day, the best profit maximizing strategy is to own the fastest horse. Just own the best performer and not get wed to an intellectual side that might leave you weeping the performance dust because you thought you were smarter than the market. If I am forced to forecast, my best is it will Bitcoin.”
– Paul Tudor Jones, Tudor Investment Corporation (Source: Investment Outlook – May 2020.)
Be Your Own Bank
Bank corruption has become a concern yet again as a result of the currency crisis in Lebanon. Although more prevalent in developing countries, the financial crisis of 2008 has taught us that even American financial institutions are not immune to failure. Holding some of your wealth in bitcoin allows you to maintain custody over your own funds, and makes it easy to travel with your wealth across borders.
In many countries, wealth can be confiscated by banks and governments with little to no warning. With bitcoin, all you need is your 12-word seed phrase to access your wallet. As long as you don’t share your phrase or your digital keys with anyone, your bitcoin can’t be taken away from you.
Bitcoin is Digital Gold
Many have compared bitcoin to gold, only digital, finite and easy to transfer. Gold has historically provided a stable store of value, maintaining its purchasing power over hundreds of years. But gold is difficult to buy and store. Bitcoin can also be used as a universal store of value, and can be accessed anywhere with a phone and a Wi-Fi connection.
Bitcoin Is Becoming Easier to Use
One of the criticisms of bitcoin is that it is not practical to use for smaller transactions due to high fees. This shouldn’t be a concern if you view bitcoin as a long-term investment. If, however, you want to spend your bitcoin, there are new technologies such as the Lightning Network which allow you to do so. Check out this surf town in El Salvador that built an entire economy on Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is also easy to send to others. Have family abroad? Companies like Western Union can take 5-10% of the international transfer, while the recipient may have to travel out of the way to receive the funds. Bitcoin allows you to send funds easy and quickly from your phone to theirs.
Proponents argue that bitcoin is the next generation of money and is the foundation of our future economy. If that prediction is true, why not get in on the ground floor?
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to serve as investment advice and is for informational purposes only. Please do your own research before making any investments in the cryptocurrency space.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in technology, financial and energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 171.41 points at 23,298.39.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 278.37 points at 41,369.79. The S&P 500 index was up 38.17 points at 5,630.35, while the Nasdaq composite was up 177.15 points at 17,733.18.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.19 cents US compared with 74.23 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up US$1.75 at US$76.27 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.10 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$18.70 at US$2,556.50 an ounce and the December copper contract was down less than a penny at US$4.22 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2024.
The crypto market has recently experienced a significant downturn, mirroring broader risk asset sell-offs. Over the past week, Bitcoin’s price dropped by 24%, reaching $53,000, while Ethereum plummeted nearly a third to $2,340. Major altcoins also suffered, with Cardano down 27.7%, Solana 36.2%, Dogecoin 34.6%, XRP 23.1%, Shiba Inu 30.1%, and BNB 25.7%.
The severe downturn in the crypto market appears to be part of a broader flight to safety, triggered by disappointing economic data. A worse-than-expected unemployment report on Friday marked the beginning of a technical recession, as defined by the Sahm Rule. This rule identifies a recession when the three-month average unemployment rate rises by at least half a percentage point from its lowest point in the past year.
Friday’s figures met this threshold, signaling an abrupt economic downshift. Consequently, investors sought safer assets, leading to declines in major stock indices: the S&P 500 dropped 2%, the Nasdaq 2.5%, and the Dow 1.5%. This trend continued into Monday with further sell-offs overseas.
The crypto market’s rapid decline raises questions about its role as either a speculative asset or a hedge against inflation and recession. Despite hopes that crypto could act as a risk hedge, the recent crash suggests it remains a speculative investment.
Since the downturn, the crypto market has seen its largest three-day sell-off in nearly a year, losing over $500 billion in market value. According to CoinGlass data, this bloodbath wiped out more than $1 billion in leveraged positions within the last 24 hours, including $365 million in Bitcoin and $348 million in Ether.
Khushboo Khullar of Lightning Ventures, speaking to Bloomberg, argued that the crypto sell-off is part of a broader liquidity panic as traders rush to cover margin calls. Khullar views this as a temporary sell-off, presenting a potential buying opportunity.
Josh Gilbert, an eToro market analyst, supports Khullar’s perspective, suggesting that the expected Federal Reserve rate cuts could benefit crypto assets. “Crypto assets have sold off, but many investors will see an opportunity. We see Federal Reserve rate cuts, which are now likely to come sharper than expected, as hugely positive for crypto assets,” Gilbert told Coindesk.
Despite the recent volatility, crypto continues to make strides toward mainstream acceptance. Notably, Morgan Stanley will allow its advisors to offer Bitcoin ETFs starting Wednesday. This follows more than half a year after the introduction of the first Bitcoin ETF. The investment bank will enable over 15,000 of its financial advisors to sell BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC. This move is seen as a significant step toward the “mainstreamization” of crypto, given the lengthy regulatory and company processes in major investment banks.
The recent crypto market downturn highlights its volatility and the broader economic concerns affecting all risk assets. While some analysts see the current situation as a temporary sell-off and a buying opportunity, others caution against the speculative nature of crypto. As the market evolves, its role as a mainstream alternative asset continues to grow, marked by increasing institutional acceptance and new investment opportunities.
