Latest news with #HODL
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Is Bitcoin The Only Investable Crypto Asset?
FILE - In this April 3, 2013 photo, a 25 Bitcoin token is displayed. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) In 2013, right after bitcoin's price crashed nearly 24% in a single day, a bleary forum user called GameKyuubi missed a keystroke and immortalized a philosophy: 'I AM HODLING.' He meant to type 'HOLDING," meaning that he was not going to sell his bitcoin regardless of the crash. (The entire hilarious post is worth a read.) The typo became part of bitcoin lore. The word 'HODL' now means to hold bitcoin for the long term and to avoid selling no matter what. Over a dozen years and multiple 80% draw-downs later, HODLing has proven to be a sound strategy. Stubborn HODLers were rewarded with orders-of-magnitude gains that beat out every other investment, period. That success has tempted newcomers to stretch the doctrine across the entire token universe. After all, if holding bitcoin worked brilliantly, why not buy a basket of the next big things and sit tight? The answer is that HODLing works with a deflationary, scarce, highly liquid asset like bitcoin – and seems not to work with anything else. Saving In Bitcoin For The Long Term In order for anything to serve as money, it must have a mix of monetary properties; it must be scarce, durable, portable, fungible, divisible, and recognizable. Bitcoin possesses many of these. Its terminal supply is hard-limited to 21 million, its ledger is updated every ten minutes with no central authority, each unit subdivides into one-hundred-million 'sats,' and anyone with an open-source client can validate its authenticity. Crucially, no third party is required to 'make you whole' when you take possession. So called 'altcoins' (other cryptocurrency tokens) fail this test. Their monetary policy is mutable, their security budgets depend on perpetual inflation or venture funding, their ledgers often settle on a parent chain they don't control, and redemption ultimately hinges on trusted teams. Stripped of the marketing gloss, they are closer to penny-stock warrants than to bearer cash. The Data Doesn't Lie: Cryptocurrency Has Failed A recent study of more than sixteen-thousand tokens launched since 2015 finds that fewer than 4% ever recover after their price falls 75% from peak. Since the first quarter of 2024 the pattern has intensified. Almost 86% of tokens debuting at valuations north of half a billion dollars have already collapsed at least 75%, and more than half have bled 90% or more. In this type of market, where a tiny number of illiquid tokens rocket up in price while most fail, attempts at 'diversification' are more like buying lots of lottery tickets and hoping one will win. The CoinDesk 20, a fund designed to spread risk across 'blue-chip' digital assets, has performed worse than bitcoin by itself. It would appear that investors who thought they were buying a portfolio of independent upside discovered they were actually underwriting a single risk factor: demand for speculative narrative and crypto hype. How To Mine Fiat Currency Market share offers another perspective. Bitcoin accounted for roughly 40% of aggregate token capitalization as the calendar turned to 2023. Today, in midsummer of 2025, it controls more than 55%, even after waves of ETF inflows made it easier than ever to purchase exposure to rivals. Capital is not sentimental – it migrates toward the asset with the deepest order book, the most immutable rules and the lowest probability of terminal failure – and capital is choosing bitcoin. Recognizing that split clarifies why only one investment model has been consistently profitable in the crypto ecosystem and has even bested traditional investments. Convert fiat into bitcoin, self-custody it to avoid the counterparty risk of exchanges, and wait for reality to close the gap between infinite-printing government paper and a fixed-supply digital bearer asset. Some HODLers call this 'mining fiat.' Time is the leverage. The moral of the market HODLing is not a universal verb. It is a strategy tuned for money, and today only bitcoin satisfies the definition. Everything else demands constant diligence, deep knowledge of markets, active risk management, and a willingness to sell when the story changes. Bitcoin rewards conviction because its governing variables are transparent and irreversible. Altcoins reward extraction because their rules are negotiable and their economics subsidize insiders. Mixing the two under a single investment philosophy is like storing heirloom gold and lottery tickets in the same vault and pretending they constitute a 'portfolio.' For investors who want long-term wealth rather than a seat at the roulette table, the playbook is unchanged since GameKyuubi smashed the keyboard: buy bitcoin, hold the keys, ignore the noise. Everything else is entertainment, and the house always takes a cut.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After 14 years and 140,000x gains, fortune worth billions surfaces this Fourth of July
After 14 years and 140,000x gains, fortune worth billions surfaces this Fourth of July originally appeared on TheStreet. It's the Fourth of July, and the United States is celebrating its 249th Independence Day today. The largest economy in the world, the U.S. offers a hope of economic freedom to millions of people in the country and abroad. Though the traditional markets remained closed on the day, the crypto world witnessed certain Bitcoin transactions that underscored the importance of financial planning and patience to best manage one's finances. Two crypto wallets, which had received 10,000 BTC each on April 3, 2011, transferred the holdings to new addresses on July 4, 2025. On April 3, 2011, one Bitcoin was worth around 78 cents. Now, one BTC is worth more than $109,000 when the latest transfers took place, reflecting a 140,000-fold return over a period of 14 years. A trader holding such a large amount of crypto assets is called a crypto whale. Both these whale addresses now hold more than $1.09 billion of these whales show any indication of liquidating their Bitcoin holdings for now, making them HODLers. HODL, or 'hold on for dear life,' is a term popular in crypto lingo that means holding crypto assets for a long time even amid bearish movements. Bitcoin, once dismissed as nerd money or a cyber scam, has come a long way since its launch in 2009. It is the world's largest cryptocurrency, the market cap ($2.16 trillion) of which makes it the sixth-largest company behind tech giants such as Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), and Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG). As per Kraken, Bitcoin was trading at $108,718.27 at press time. After 14 years and 140,000x gains, fortune worth billions surfaces this Fourth of July first appeared on TheStreet on Jul 4, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Asia Morning Briefing: Leverage Meets Patience as Bitcoin Builds Toward a Breakout
As Asia opens the Wednesday trading day, bitcoin (BTC) is changing hands above $105.5K, a slight correction from $107K, where it sat during the U.S. business day. Despite the geopolitical upheaval of the last few weeks – with the U.S. strike on Iran, an event that surprised both geopolitical scholars and Polymarket bettors – BTC has proven itself once again to be a resilient store of value. CoinDesk market data shows that the asset class has been fairly stable over the last month, up 1%. But this return to a price point that looks inches away from BTC's all-time high of $111K, which it hit in May, feels more disciplined than euphoric, according to market observers. Unlike the December 2024 breakout above $100K, which triggered a wave of profit-taking, long-term investors now appear content to sit on their gains, as Glassnode wrote in their weekly note. 'HODLing appears to be the dominant market mechanic,' Glassnode analysts wrote, citing a surge in long-term holder supply to 14.7 million BTC and historically low realized profits. On-chain activity indicates a limited desire to sell, even as BTC trades just below record levels. Metrics like the adjusted Spent Output Profit Ratio (aSOPR) also reflect this restraint, hovering just above breakeven, according to Glassnode. This suggests that the coins being spent are recent acquisitions. Think: tactical trades rather than broad distribution. Meanwhile, Glassnode data shows the Liveliness metric continues to decline, reinforcing that older coins remain dormant. That patience is being met with persistent institutional demand, as QCP wrote in its daily markets update. Market data indicates that $2.2 billion in net inflows to BTC spot ETFs occurred last week, with QCP describing the tone as 'constructive' and noting that players such as Strategy and Metaplanet continue to accumulate. These steady inflows are quietly reshaping the market's structure. Bitcoin's realized cap, a measure of the price at which coins last moved, has grown to $955 billion, which is likely a sign that real capital, not just speculation, is moving into the asset. Still, not everything is calm under the surface. QCP notes that leveraged long positions have been rising, with funding rates turning positive across major perpetual futures markets. Glassnode warns that 'the market may need to move higher, or lower, to unlock additional supply,' suggesting that this equilibrium between long-term conviction and short-term leverage won't hold forever. With BTC barely moving after the Senate approved the White House's 'Big Beautiful Bill', the market feels less like a stampede and more like a standoff between long-term holders who refuse to sell and short-term traders piling into leverage. That fragile equilibrium has market observers wondering where the next catalyst will come from and whether it could make BTC's next move explosive. Design software firm Figma has disclosed a $70 million position in the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) as part of its IPO filing. The filing shows that board approved a $55 million BTC investment in March 2024, which has since appreciated by 27%. A separate May resolution greenlit a $30 million USDC purchase, earmarked for future conversion to BTC bringing the total planned allocation to $100 million. Recently, Hong Kong-based food conglomerate DDC Enterprise announced a $528 million capital raise this week, earmarked to buy 5,000 BTC over three years. DeFi Development Corp. , the first publicly traded U.S. company with a treasury strategy built around Solana (SOL), announced in a Tuesday press release that it plans to raise $100 million through a private offering of convertible senior notes due 2030. The offering, made under Rule 144A to qualified institutional buyers, includes an option for initial purchasers to acquire up to an additional $25 million in notes within 13 days of issuance. BTC: Bitcoin is holding around $106K, with on-chain data from Glassnode showing long-term holders largely unmoved. ETH: Ethereum faced heavy selling after failing to break resistance at $2,522, ending a volatile 24-hour session marked by a 4.5% trading range. Gold: Gold rose over 1% Tuesday, driven by a weaker dollar and global trade uncertainty, with spot prices hitting $3,357.85 and futures climbing to $3,353.80. S&P 500: U.S. stocks were mixed Tuesday as investors rotated out of tech, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.11% to close at 6,198.01. Binance to Keep Hundreds of Staff in Singapore Despite Crackdown (Bloomberg) NY Attorney General Letitia James warns stablecoin bills put Americans at risk, urges stronger oversight (The Block) High on DOGE? Cannabis Company Makes Dogecoin Treasury Play (Decrypt)
Business Insider
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Could Bitcoin Really Hit $21 Million? Michael Saylor Thinks So
Michael Saylor, the outspoken Strategy (MSTR) CEO, just doubled down on his most jaw-dropping price prophecy to date: Bitcoin could someday reach $21 million per coin. That's right—one digital token worth more than half a Bugatti lineup. Saylor stakes the prediction on Bitcoin's capped supply, institutional adoption, and its role as a digital gold alternative in a world drowning in fiat printing. But skeptics warn it's speculative fantasy, and some see it as yet another HODL hype cycle. Confident Investing Starts Here: Saylor Projects Bitcoin as Ultimate Store of Value Saylor argues Bitcoin's 21 million supply cap makes it inherently deflationary, unlike inflationary fiat. 'Corporations, sovereigns, funds, even individuals will own zero‑ inflation money,' he said recently. His math suggests that if global investable assets flock to Bitcoin, even modestly, it could drive the price to the stratosphere. It's a vision of Bitcoin as digital gold taken to its logical extreme. He points to three tailwinds: relentless money printing, accelerating Bitcoin adoption by institutions, and sovereign wealth entering crypto. Add the next halving cutting new supply, and you've got a classic supply‑shock setup. Even a tiny shift in asset allocation toward Bitcoin—from 1% to 2–3%—could trigger exponential upside, says Saylor. BUT Heads May Not Be In The Clouds Still, many analysts roll their eyes. Bitcoin at $21 million would require $441 trillion in market cap, a number larger than every stock, bond, and commodity combined. That's not just optimism, it's full-blown moon shot territory. Then there's regulation, market cycles, and the rise of central bank digital currencies—all adding uncertainty. Critics Flag Extreme Concentration and Liquidity Risk Bitcoin's ownership leans heavily on whales, large holders who could move markets with one divestment decision. If those whales sell, or if regulation forces them to, volatility could spike. Meanwhile, liquidity at those astronomical levels is theoretically possible, but it wouldn't mirror today's market structure. That raises questions about execution, slippage, and systemic tech constraints. The Middle Path Looks More Likely Play devil's advocate and consider a more grounded scenario: Bitcoin at $500,000 to $1 million seems far more realistic. That still represents a monumental bull case driven by institutional adoption, diminishing supply, and mainstream acceptance. But it avoids the absurdity of a $21 million valuation tied to every global asset class overloading Bitcoin's rails. Still, whether it's the middle ground or Saylor's max-case for Bitcoin, both hinge on macro trends like monetary policy, tech innovation, and global institutional appetite, not slogan-driven hype. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was sitting at $102,527.29.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Crypto Markets Hit 'Diamond Hands' Phase: Trading Volumes Crash to Pre-Bull Run Levels
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. The cryptocurrency market has entered what many refer to as the "diamond hands" phase — a term used to describe investors who hold onto their assets with unwavering conviction, regardless of market volatility or downturns. According to recent data, centralized exchange spot trading volumes have dropped to levels last seen in October 2020 — just before Bitcoin began its historic climb to $69,000. This suggests that many holders are refusing to sell, even amid low activity and uncertain conditions. Don't Miss: — no wallets, just price speculation and free paper trading to practice different strategies. Grow your IRA or 401(k) with Crypto – . The chart reveals a dramatic divergence between Bitcoin's price action and trading behavior. While Bitcoin has maintained elevated prices above $80,000, the trading volume patterns paint a picture of a market in transition: Spot trading volumes have collapsed to approximately $965.6 million USD Futures trading activity remains relatively subdued compared to previous peaks On-chain movement has similarly decreased, indicating coins are staying put in wallets This volume compression is particularly striking when viewed against Bitcoin's price trajectory, which has remained resilient despite reduced trading activity. The shift into 'HODL mode' — a term originating from a misspelling of "hold" and now widely used to describe the strategy of holding onto crypto assets through volatility — represents a fundamental change in market psychology and behavior: Supply Side Dynamics: Long-term holders are refusing to sell despite significant price appreciation Reduced coin circulation creates artificial scarcity Lower trading volumes suggest conviction rather than speculation Market Maturation: Institutional adoption may be reducing retail trading volatility Bitcoin ETF inflows could be absorbing selling pressure Corporate treasury adoption creates permanent demand sinks Trending: New to crypto? on Coinbase. The October 2020 comparison is particularly relevant because that period preceded Bitcoin's most explosive bull run. During that time: Trading volumes were similarly compressed before the major breakout Market sentiment shifted from speculative to accumulative Institutional interest was just beginning to emerge However, today's market conditions differ significantly. The current environment features established institutional infrastructure, regulatory clarity in many jurisdictions, and a more mature derivative market structure. Bullish Interpretation: The volume compression could indicate strong hands holding the asset, creating conditions for supply-driven price appreciation. When combined with potential catalysts like continued ETF adoption or favorable regulatory developments, this could support further price advances. Cautionary Considerations: Low volume environments can be deceptive. Markets can move dramatically on relatively small amounts of trading activity, potentially creating both upside and downside volatility when sentiment shifts occur. For Retail Investors: Consider whether current market conditions align with your risk tolerance Low volume periods can precede significant price movements in either direction Dollar-cost averaging strategies may be particularly relevant in low-volatility environments For Institutional Players: Monitor on-chain metrics and exchange flows for early signs of behavioral shifts Consider how reduced liquidity might impact larger position management Evaluate whether current market structure supports your investment thesis The current market structure suggests we're in a period of consolidation and conviction rather than speculation and fear. Whether this leads to another explosive move higher – as it did following October 2020 – remains to be seen, but the setup certainly bears watching as a potential inflection point for the broader cryptocurrency market. Read Next: A must-have for all crypto enthusiasts: . Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Image: Shutterstock This article Crypto Markets Hit 'Diamond Hands' Phase: Trading Volumes Crash to Pre-Bull Run Levels originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
