But today, Bitcoin trades at about $ 20,000 while a single Ether token is worth roughly $ 1,100. many of the smaller altcoins — such as Dogecoin ( DOGE 2.10 % ) and Cardano ( ADA 2.43 % ) — fared even worse .
That dizzying crash was largely caused by rising interest rates, which drove investors away from more bad investments ; the alarming failures of “ stablecoins ” like TerraUSD ; tightening regulations for the crypto market ; and fluidity issues at several cryptocurrency exchanges. Pricey publicity stunts — including Coinbase ‘s ( COIN 9.07 % ) Super Bowl ad and Matt Damon ‘s Crypto.com commercial — besides suggested the market was bubbling over .
But after that burp pop, some contrarian investors might be wondering if it ‘s finally prison term to buy some circus tent cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether. Let ‘s review the bullshit and digest cases for the crypto commercialize to decide.
What do the bulls believe?
The bulls believe the crypto crash is resetting a marketplace that had become saturated with dangerous coins and inquisitive traders. After the weaker cryptocurrencies are burned away, the stronger ones — such as Bitcoin and Ether — could stabilize and become feasible assets for investors .
many crypto evangelists previously claimed that cryptocurrencies could shield investors from inflation, but the excitability of the green market prevented that scenario from playing out as consumer prices soared this year. But if the prices of Bitcoin and Ether brace, they could become feasible hedges against inflation, like aureate, silver, and other valued metals, in the future .
however, no one is certain when those prices will actually stabilize. concluding year, Ark Invest ‘s Cathie Wood predicted that Bitcoin ‘s price would hit $ 560,000 by 2026 if all institutional investors allocated just 5 % of their portfolios to the cryptocurrency. Earlier this class, she claimed Bitcoin ‘s price would reach $ 1 million by 2030. Fundstrat ‘s Tom Lee, who correctly predicted Bitcoin ‘s rise from $ 9,000 to $ 20,000 before the pandemic started, believes its monetary value could finally climb to about $ 200,000 over the next few years .
As for Ether, the bulls believe the holocene Ethereum 2.0 ( Eth2 ) upgrade for its blockchain, which could potentially reduce its full mining energy consumption by about 99 %, will make it a more environmentally friendly alternate to Bitcoin, which consumes massive amounts of department of energy. They besides believe the smart abridge engineering on Ethereum, which facilitates decentralize transactions across its blockchain, can be used to create a modern genesis of decentralized apps ( dApps ) that are n’t tethered to centralized mobile app stores, operating systems, and obscure platforms .
The price targets for Ether vary wide, between $ 4,000 and $ 8,000, but all those bullish estimates are pegged to the notion that the Eth2 upgrade will stabilize Ether ‘s price and improve its mine efficiency.
Read more: Events Timeline
What do the bears believe?
The bears frequently compare the crypto house of cards to the tulip mania burp of the early 1600s. If it amply follows that trajectory, then all the cryptocurrencies — including Bitcoin and Ether — could drop to zero .
good like the tulip mania bubble, the prices for cryptocurrencies were driven up by a “ fear of missing out ” ( FOMO ) alternatively of actual value or scarcity. When the tulip bubble fusillade, people realized that they had paid absurd prices for individual medulla oblongata — and investors could be destined to repeat history with their cryptocurrencies and NFTs ( non-fungible tokens ) .
The bears believe the cryptocurrency mania was chiefly driven by social networks like Reddit, commission-free trade platforms like Robinhood, diaphanous boredom during the pandemic, and stimulation checks. Those tailwinds are now dissipating as inflation, rising sake rates, and a potential recess drive investors toward safer investments rather. That ‘s why Brian Armstrong, headman executive military officer of crypto exchange Coinbase, recently warned investors that a new “ crypto winter “ had begun .
government regulators around the world are besides cracking down on cryptocurrency trade and exchanges. That regulative imperativeness, which has intensified in the U.S. under the new Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC ) Chair Gary Gensler, could finally deflate the stallion market. After all, cryptocurrencies were initially promoted as anonymous alternatives to fiat currencies — but immediately they ‘re being aggressively tracked, regulated, and taxed .
Simply put, cryptocurrencies are the type of investment that can flourish in a bullshit grocery store — but they ‘re destined to fade away in a hold grocery store.
Is it the right time to buy crypto?
I do n’t plan to dive into the crypto market as matter to rates rise, but I besides do n’t think leaders like Bitcoin and Ether will fade away anytime soon. Therefore, I believe investors should wait for the broader markets to stabilize before nibbling on these top cryptocurrencies, and entirely allocate a low single-digit percentage of their portfolios to those coins when that finally happens .
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