Litecoin, Ethereum & other Crypto-Currencies

[Bonus Paradise]

Whatever happens the only stock I will be buying in 2018 is XRP.

So what do you expect? How much will be 1 xrp worth, lets say by end of 2018?

 

[Kadabra]

can you explain why you think so?

 

[TheGooner]

Whatever happens the only stock I will be buying in 2018 is XRP.

Because buying stocks / tokens at record highs after they've been pumped up is where the smart money goes?
I don't think so.

 

[Frank]

Ripple has taken the number 2 spot over the last week, overtaking Bitcoin cash and then Etherium.

I would expect it to overtake Bitcoin as number 1 in February or March and then there is no looking back for it.

I think there is a very good chance that Bitcoin and variants will virtually zero out by the end of 2018 (drop down to the hundreds rather than tens of thousands).

Etherium should cement itself in second position by summer and there will be a couple of surprise packages jumping into the top 10 after ico but most ico will fail.

Whatever happens the only stock I will be buying in 2018 is XRP.

It would need some serious volume to overtake BTC, i hope it does as I purchased a decent holding however I think it has way to go yet.

 

[Casino-Matt]

Not a clue how high it can go. I just have to back one horse with great credentials. $10 or with a bit if luck $20 by end of 2018.

 

[CL-Ed]

Matt, can you state your case as to why you think Ripple has such value? I don't agree at all. In fact I struggle to see why the token should be worth anything. Its a debt trading token. I know the company has deals with some banks to trial a few things. I also know that the company behind it pre-mined 60% of the tokens so the market can only ever own 40% of them unless they decide to sell which would probably be a huge negative signal.

• Did you know that coinmarketcap ignores the 60 billion tokens owned by the Ripple company when calculating their highly misleading market cap number? Look up their page and note their numbers of "circulating supply" vs "total supply" - the fantasy market cap is only based on 40% of the supply. Contrast with Bitcoin where it is fair to say there are probably a few million that are forever out of circulation (Satoshi stash, plus lost coins). If you multiply it out based on the actual full supply, it is probably #1 right now, which only proves how ridiculous the valuation is, and how silly these market cap metrics are.
• Why does the Ripple network even have a token at all, what is the use case?
• How is it better than open protocols like Hyperledger that more or less do the same thing without a token?
• What is the appeal of a centralised company token against the major reason that cryptocurrencies were invented: i.e. decentralisation and democratisation of money away from banking cartels?
• Lets imagine that the ultimate end goal for Ripple is to replace the SWIFT network. What is to stop banks rolling their own crypto once they have learned whatever they need to from their trials with Ripple?

I don't see it at all. I know there is a lot of irrational exuberance among investors/gamblers and flat our vapourware in the crypto space. I don't want to see anyone here get burnt, especially if you are just gambling on tokens based on gut feel.

Maybe you have good answers to these questions and I would love to hear them and be convinced. But if you don't I think you're taking a huge risk putting your money on the line for it.

 

[Casino-Matt]

Thanks for the concern Ed. I could list dozens and dozens of links to information about Ripple the company and the technology and the global superpowers already on board the Ripple train.

But I have to aak you why have so many people bought into Bitcoin? The price of BTC shot up x20 during 2017. That is stock in an unregulated token which has absolutely zero real world value, is banned in some countries, costs a fortune to mine, has primitive and slow techmology and has the potential to drop to zero value very quickly. Not to mention the mafia controlling the supply and the price and the fees associated with it.

Would I rather invest in a mob controlled unregulated nothing or should I put my faith in a company who have Google, MS, Gates, Amex, Santander, etc etc etc etc etc on board?

I am not interested in the decentralisation, the anonymity and all that jazz. As soon as you want to use your bitcoin in the real world you are going to have to pay the piper.

If somebody today offers me 50 bitcoins to buy my entire network of websites I will say thanks very much. And invest it in Ripple.

 

[Casino-Matt]

Oh and yes I am fully aware the market cap thing means nothing in real terms. However as far as public awareness goes it does mean something.

As for the unmined Ripples, 55 billion are actually in Escrow in order to guarantee price stability.

This month is going to be very interesting with Coinbase adding Ripple. Going on past experience it could see Ripples price double and then half of that boost will drop off again as it normalizes.

 

[RyanWeb]

But I have to ask you why have so many people bought into Bitcoin?

I would say for the same reason that Trump got elected, and for the same reason that Britain voted to leave the EU. People are tired of the status quo. Ripple is the status quo, as a centralized coin that is betting against the majority of what the crypto community stands for. IMO you are betting against trump, brexit, torrents, free movies, pirated music, open source, drugs (war on drugs), alcohol (prohibition) etc.

People want to rebel and do the opposite of what their over-controlling governments tell them is right, imo that's the initial reason for the rise of bitcoin, and why the XRP train won't overtake anyone long term.

Right or wrong, the free market will find a way to thrive, and it just got a new set of tools.

 

[RazorGamer]

I would say for the same reason that Trump got elected, and for the same reason that Britain voted to leave the EU. People are tired of the status quo. Ripple is the status quo, as a centralized coin that is betting against the majority of what the crypto community stands for. IMO you are betting against trump, brexit, torrents, free movies, pirated music, open source, drugs (war on drugs), alcohol (prohibition) etc.

People want to rebel and do the opposite of what their over-controlling governments tell them is right, imo that's the initial reason for the rise of bitcoin, and why the XRP train won't overtake anyone long term.

Right or wrong, the free market will find a way to thrive, and it just got a new set of tools.

Bitcoin has really come a long way...

 

[RyanWeb]

Aside from all that, to bet everything on a single coin isn't the best strategy. Diversification still works well here, tech is moving fast in this area (bulletproofs, ring signatures, atomic swaps and coins like IOTA coming into play). Why would Ripple be the end all be all here? It's not even a true blockchain, just a centralized database trying to keep banks relevant. Bitcoin wasn't born out of the need to speed up transactions, but because people want some sort of accountability, for their out of control governments.

 

[RazorGamer]

Aside from all that, to bet everything on a single coin isn't the best strategy. Diversification still works well here, tech is moving fast in this area (bulletproofs, ring signatures, atomic swaps and coins like IOTA coming into play). Why would Ripple be the end all be all here? It's not even a true blockchain, just a centralized database trying to keep banks relevant. Bitcoin wasn't born out of the need to speed up transactions, but because people want some sort of accountability, for their out of control governments.

Yes, I see where you're coming from with this.

The great thing about Bitcoin is that it has no restrictions and that it can be sent to anyone, anywhere throughout the world

 

[CL-Ed]

I really was hoping to hear some good reasons why Ripple tokens should be worth billions. I've been reading about it over the past 6 months or so and seen the hype build but I remain unconvinced. From what I can tell its a protocol based on real world trust that has a token to burn for fees. As I understand it the token is completely unnecessary, and as stated there are open source projects doing more or less the exact same thing that don't have a token or company behind it that controls 60% of the tokens. I don't mean that the protocol or the service is without value, I just don't see how it translates into a value for the tokens.

I think the "what about Bitcoin" argument is a red herring. They are two separate things with different approaches and rationale for their existence, so I don't see it as a case of one or the other. The decentralised nature of Bitcoin (and most other cryptos) is their greatest strength because the system as designed is trustless, yet they cannot be cheated. Whereas Ripple is based on trust in the entities performing the transactions and the company running the blockchain, which is the antithesis of why cryptos were created in the first place. I don't know who this "Bitcoin mafia" you are speaking of is. But anyway, I'll let it go. It looks like I'm not going to get any answers to my questions here.

 

[slotplayer]

XRP has a destruction rate. Every time a transaction is processed a small amount of Ripple is destroyed.

 

[edgarf76]

Litecoin dipped but is back up a bit. I kick myself for watching from the sidelines when it was under 100. Etherum is holding it's value nicely. Crpto stocks like (Symbol RIOT & TEUM) have been doing well. TEUM is trading high but playing the dip on DPW may bring in a nice 10-20% short term. In Dec 2017 RIOT was up 100%.

 

[NDG]

There are a lot of strong opinions when it comes to the crypto currencies market.. but it's all speculation. If anyone knew
what would happen with crypto-currencies, then they would have invested in Bitcoin long ago, and they'd now be living on a
private island somewhere, sipping margaritas, while scantily clad supermodels take care of their every want and need.

We invested in coins when they were next to nothing and that has already returned our initial investment. Now,
we will just hold all of the coins, ignore the market, and see what happens with them in a couple of years. It's an easy
investment that could turn out to be something big, or end up becoming nothing at all. Either way, we aren't getting burned.

 

[Casino-Matt]

Obviously we are all going to have to agree to disagree. Some folks see the off the grid Bitcoin as the way forward, some of us are interested in something which is using the tech qithin the system.

Ripple has 55bn in Escrow, Bitcoin just forks to do exactly the same thing.

My stock is up, your stock is up. At a certain point we all have to decide whether we stick or twist, for me that point has not yet arrived. What happens when Coinbase adds xrp, who is going to get the amazon, fb, etc contracts? How many more are going to follow Steam in dumping btc, etc etc.

There are many many unanswered questions but one thing we do know is that leaving our money in the bank is only costing us money every year so we either accept that or we find some place to invest our capital, be that stocks, crypto or real estate.

 

[slotplayer]

Ripple is on a good run, now the mainstream media will start mentioning it which should give it a further boost.

 

[KasinoKing]

Ripple is on a good run, now the mainstream media will start mentioning it which should give it a further boost.

You're not joking - up 25% TODAY!

My investment buying 10,000 of them is looking very nice right now > $20,000 profit!
The only question is - when should I hit the cash-out button...?

KK

 

[Casino-Matt]

It depends who you listen to KK.

My plan was to carry on pumping money in until it hits €10. That was supposed to be the end of this year but optimists are saying that point could hit this month already.

I planned on cashing out 10% when it levels out beyond €10 and letting the rest ride and seeing how the market moves. 25% of my stash is in it for the long haul whatever happens (5-10 years). But depending on the market moves (if the optimists are correct) my first cash out might be well beyond €10.