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What is a 'Cryptocurrency' A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. A cryptocurrency is difficult to counterfeit because of this security feature. A defining feature of a cryptocurrency, and arguably its most endearing allure, is its organic nature; it is not issued by any central authority, rendering it theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation. BREAKING DOWN 'Cryptocurrency' The anonymous nature of cryptocurrency transactions makes them well-suited for a host of nefarious activities, such as money laundering and tax evasion. The first cryptocurrency to capture the public imagination was Bitcoin, which was launched in 2009 by an individual or group known under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. As of September 2015, there were over 14.6 million bitcoins in circulation with a total market value of $3.4 billion. Bitcoin's success has spawned a number of competing cryptocurrencies, su...

Countless experts and pundits,  including Chase CEO Jamie Dimon , have proclaimed that Bitcoin is in a massive bubble right now, and it certainly could be. Yet these “experts” fail to consider one possibility that  some in the Bitcoin community  are beginning to suspect:  mass adoption may be imminent. Permanently high plateau First, let’s get something out of the way. Yes, with every bubble there are people who insist that it really isn’t a bubble.  It’s “the new normal” or “a new paradigm.”  Perhaps the most infamous such example is that of Yale economist Irving Fisher. At the height of the 1929 stock market bubble, just before the crash, a jubilant Fisher  proclaimed : “Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” He couldn’t have been more wrong. Bubbles throughout history History is replete with examples of financial bubbles that popped disastrously. Britain’s  South Sea bubble  came about in...

Because I see a lot of new altcoin enthusiasts joining the crypto world, I made a simple glossary with crypto jargon. Do you miss anything? Don’t hesitate to add it as a comment (I will edit the post). Address –  A bitcoin address is essentially the same thing as your home address. It’s the location from which you would receive, send or hold your currency. These addresses generally manifest in a long string of alphanumeric characters and will look something like: 1MhN5qfH1vgx9CLL17i3DK9D2gzrHR7dZF A wallet address is the public portion of the two encrypted keys necessary for a holder to accept or verify a transaction. Altcoin , the abbreviation for alternative coin, or alternate coin, or all blockchain projects and related currency that exist in addition to Bitcoin. ASIC  – Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) An Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) is a computer chip created to perform one specific function, and only that function. Since mining ...

Andrew Meola   Aug. 29, 2017,  Pixabay via Google Images How to Invest in Cryptocurrency Blockchain technology has been heating up in the past several months, thanks in large part to the surge in Bitcoin's price since early May. The cryptocurrency skyrocketed from less than $1,000 in March to an all-time high of $4,440 on August 14. Given this meteoric rise, it's no surprise that investors are clamoring to figure out how to break into the Bitcoin marketplace. But there are many other cryptocurrencies (such as Ethereum) and blockchain companies on the stock exchange where investors can funnel their money. However, investing in a cryptocurrency is different than investing in a regular stock. When you invest in a company, you're buying shares of that company and essentially own an extremely small percentage of it. When you invest in Bitcoin or Ethereum, you receive digital tokens that serve different purposes. With Bitcoin, you get decentraliz...

Charles Bovaird  ,  CONTRIBUTOR Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. There are many ways to profit if crypto markets crash.  Shutterstock Recently, a range of analysts have weighed in on whether cryptocurrencies are in a bubble. There is certainly cause for concern,  as the total market capitalization (market cap) of these digital assets has  surged  from less than $18 billion to  nearly $180 billion this year, according to  CoinMarketCap .  However, these currencies have been suffering some  weakness  lately, as many have dropped significantly from their peaks. [Ed note: Investing in cryptocoins or tokens is highly speculative and the market is largely unregulated. Anyone considering it should be prepared to lose their entire investment.] How To Profit Should the crypto markets crash, there are several ways that investors can profit. As fo...