Another dog-inspired cryptocurrency called shiba inu, or SHIB, hit an all-time high of $0.0000594on Wednesday.
Despite its price being below 1 cent, the “meme token” has garnered a lot of attention. Shiba inu now ranks No. 11 among the top cryptocurrencies by market value, according to CoinMarketCap. It is up more than 111% over the past seven says, as of 9:42 a.m. EST on Wednesday.
Though shiba inu is cheap to buy and it may be tempting to jump in, experts say investors should do their research first.
“Before investing in any cryptocurrency, it’s important to understand what you’re investing in and the associated risks, not just hype around it,” Douglas Boneparth, certified financial planner and president of Bone Fide Wealth, tells CNBC Make It.
Shiba inu is typically considered an altcoin, which refers to the multitude of cryptocurrencies aside from bitcoin. Cryptocurrency can be a very volatile and speculative investment in general, but experts say altcoins can be even more so.
Here’s what you should know.
What’s SHIB?
Shiba inu was created in August 2020 by a pseudonymous founder called Ryoshi. As its name suggests, the token is inspired by shiba inu dogs.
Shiba inu is an Ethereum-based ERC-20 token, which means it is created on and hosted by the Ethereum blockchain, rather than its own blockchain.
Ryoshi decided to launch shiba inu on Ethereum because it’s “already secure and well-established,” according to the shiba inu white paper, or, as its community calls it, “woof paper.”
Read more about cryptocurrencies from CNBC Pro
What are the risks?
“Altcoins like SHIB are primarily community-based, meaning their success is largely dependent on the success and growth of its community instead of its utility,” says Boneparth, who has invested in bitcoin since 2014. Indeed, Ryoshi calls shiba inu an “experiment in decentralized spontaneous community building” in its white paper.
Experts warn that any cryptocurrency investment can result in the loss of your entire investment. They generally recommend that you only invest what you can afford to lose, regardless of which cryptocurrency you choose.
But altcoins may require additional caution due to their differences from something like bitcoin, including their structure, supply and utility.
Bitcoin, for example, launched in 2009 with the intent to have utility as a peer-to-peer financial system. Its blockchain was carefully created, with a well-thought-out ecosystem. Bitcoin also has a limited supply, which allows for built-in scarcity by design. Because of that, it’s seen as a store of value by its holders, who also hope it becomes a prominent decentralized digital currency.
But nonetheless, “many altcoins can be extremely risky and may not have any inherent investment value, and retail investors should not trade these assets without research and due diligence,” says Brett Harrison, president of cryptocurrency exchange FTX US.
Rather than investing in a surging cryptocurrency based on hype, Harrison looks for crypto assets with specific utility.
“There are a number of crypto assets that can be suitable for retail users, whose investment prospects can be tied to their ability to provide a store of value, to facilitate an efficient mechanism for payment transfers, or to power a protocol used to build blockchain-based applications,” he says.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
