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Cryptocurrency Mania Continues in 2018 Even as Regulators Turn Up Heat

Published 06/01/2018, 03:45 am
Updated 06/01/2018, 03:53 am
© Reuters.  Bitcoin still moving higher despite competition

© Reuters. Bitcoin still moving higher despite competition

Investing.com - Investing in cryptocurrencies continued to be strong at the start of 2018 even as regulators begin to ramp up talks to deal with the risk the new blockchain-based “assets” may pose to the financial system.

The hype surrounding digital currencies has done little else other than increase in 2018 as traders begin to focus on a wider range of alternatives in what has been dubbed the “great rotation” as investors begin to search for a cheaper option than Bitcoin that is wavering around $16,000.

TRON gathering steam

TRON has recently garnered attention as its market cap has catapulted from around $2.94 billion on January 1 to nearly $14.1 billion as of time of writing on Friday, making it the seventh largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Tron is a blockchain-based, open-source protocol for the global digital entertainment industry in which TRX, Tron's token, is circulated. It allows one-on-one interaction between the suppliers of digital content and the normal users and is seen as an alternative to platforms such as Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) Appstore or Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Play.

TRON was soaring more than 50% on Friday, taking its weekly gains to nearly 500%.

Coinbase dampens Ripple's rally

Ripple was under selling pressure on Friday dropping around 10%. That came Coinbase squashed rumors that the more affordable Bitcoin alternative was in the running to be added to the exchange.

“As of the date of this statement, we have made no decision to add additional assets to either GDAX or Coinbase. Any statement to the contrary is untrue and not authorized by the company,” Coinbase said in a statement.

Ripple, the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, was still sporting weekly gains of around 65% despite having pulled off record highs of more than $3.00.

Ethereum pulls back from the $1,000 mark

Ethereum, that lost its second place standing to Ripple at the end of last week, was moving slightly lower on Friday, pulling away from record highs above $1,000.

Bitcoin higher this year despite "great rotation" worries

Despite concerns over the so-called “great rotation”, Bitcoin is still holding its own in 2018 as it wavers around the $16,000 mark. Though far from its record high of close to $20,000 last year, from its December 31 close at $13,800, the largest crypto with a market cap of around $276 billion is up around 18% this week.

Meanwhile, its offshoot Bitcoin Cash -the result of the “fork” from the world’s largest digital currency on August 1 in a move that was designed to be able to process transactions more quickly at a lower cost- was lagging its rivals with year-to-date gains of “just” 3.6%.

Regulators stepping up the pressure

Perhaps precisely because of stellar gains in many of the cryptocurrencies, regulators have increasingly begun to examine the digital assets.

In their crosshairs, CME and CBOE exchanges launched Bitcoin futures in December, sparking criticism from some industry participants who said they should have consulted the market more widely before allowing the products.

The futures theoretically allow sellers to take short positions against bitcoins, but some observers have warned that, due to the extreme volatility of the digital assets, it could go so far as to cause major damage to financial system as a whole.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said Thursday that it would convene its technology and risk advisory committees this month to discuss its "self-certification" process for listing digital currency futures and how those products are risk-managed and policed.

The CFTC further added that it had imposed a “heightened review” on bitcoin derivatives, adding that exchanges and clearinghouses that handle financial products tied to digital currencies will face tough requirements and scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASSA) have both issued new warnings to investors over the risks of investing in Bitcoin, cautioning that regulators may not be able to protect them from fraudsters.

So far, the stellar gains in 2017 and the continued rally this year seems to have offset the cautionary words from market regulators.

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