Market highlights December 30: Cryptos seen lower, US markets edge higher

The crypto market as a whole is bearish as the year comes to an end. It was in the red over the past 24 hours, as the top 10 cryptos were seen lower at the time of writing. The three major US indices edged higher yesterday as the SPX500 rose 0.14% to finish the session on another all-time high. The UK100 hit a 22-month high yesterday, its highest level since February 2020.

Top cryptos

Bitcoin was down approximately 2%, trading below $47,000 this morning. Ethereum and XRP were down around 3%, while Solana registered losses of approximately 6%. Uniswap, yesterday’s only gainer in the top 20, is reversing wins. It’s down 9% so far today. The next-ranking coin (19), Algorand, is its complete antipode, up 11%, and the biggest winner in the top 20 cryptos by market cap.

In other crypto news, Binance Holdings announced yesterday it has received initial approval from Bahrain’s central bank to become a crypto service provider in the Middle Eastern country. This regulatory nod from Bahrain could bring cryptos to higher trading volumes, and according to Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, could drive crypto prices higher.

Top movers

XinFin (XDC) is an enterprise-ready hybrid Blockchain technology company optimized for international trade and finance. The XDC protocol is architected to support smart contracts, 2000TPS, 2 seconds transaction time, and KYC to masternodes. The XDC blockchain uses XinFin Delegated Proof of Stake with the intent to create a highly-scalable, secure, permission, and commercial grade blockchain network. XDC is the biggest gainer in the top 100 today with value growth of 15%.

Following continuous improvements to the ecosystem and a series of lucrative partnerships, the price of NEAR Protocol is only going up. Today, it has gained 14%.

The creators of Cosmos describe it as a project that solves some of the “hardest problems” facing the blockchain industry. It’s up 9% in the last 24 h.

Monero has been rising steadily since it made good on its promise of a decentralized exchange built on privacy, speed, and low fees. It’s up 7% today.

Most of the other coins are down by 1-6% today. At #98, ICON continues reversing gains. It has lost 14% in the last 24 h.  

Trending

SORA Validator Token (VAL) is the token of the SORA network, which is said to excel at providing tools for decentralized applications that use digital assets, such as atomic token swaps, bridging tokens to other chains, and creating programmatic rules involving digital assets.

SORA joined the Kusama parachain auctions and interoperability between the existing SORA network and the SORA Kusama parachain network will be enabled via a bridge. The VAL token gained 4,140% today, possibly on news of securing a slot on Kusama.  

The post Market highlights December 30: Cryptos seen lower, US markets edge higher appeared first on Coin Journal.

You can now buy Tezos, the network with the most advanced infrastructure: here’s where

Tezos is a smart-contract based blockchain network, which aims to offer infrastructure that can evolve and improve over time without the need of a hard fork. The live Tezos price today is $4.42 USD with a 24-hour trading volume of $180.75 million. This article shares details about Tezos and the top places to buy Tezos now.   

Top places to buy Tezos now

eToro

eToro is one of the world’s leading multi-asset trading platforms offering some of the lowest commission and fee rates in the industry. It’s social copy trading features make it a great choice for those getting started.

Buy XTZ with eToro today

bitFlyer

Easily buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and other virtual currencies with Euros on the world’s most trusted exchange. Trade with confidence knowing that bitFlyer is a licensed financial institution operating in Europe, Japan and US.

Buy XTZ with bitFlyer today

What is Tezos?

The Tezos network is similar to Ethereum with one major difference: there will never be the danger of a hard fork. This is something that both Bitcoin and Ethereum have suffered since they were created. People who hold XTZ can vote on proposals for protocol upgrades that have been put forward by Tezos developers.

This open-source platform bills itself as “secure, upgradable and built to last” — and says its smart contract language provides the accuracy that is required for high-value use cases. According to Tezos, its approach means that it is futureproof and will “remain state-of-the-art long into the future,” meaning it can embrace developments in blockchain technology.

Should I buy Tezos today?

Take all price predictions and investment advice with a grain of salt and never invest more than you can afford to lose.    

Tezos price prediction

Wallet Investor forecasts a long-term increase. The price prognosis for the end of 2026 is $15.65. With a 5-year investment, the revenue is expected to be around 251%. An investment of $100 made now will amount to $351 in 5 years if the prediction is correct.

Tezos on social media

 

The post You can now buy Tezos, the network with the most advanced infrastructure: here’s where appeared first on Coin Journal.

Celo is bringing crypto to smartphone users: here’s where you can buy Celo now

Celo has been gaining value after a successful series of events, including an eToro listing. The live Celo price today is $4.74 with a 24-hour trading volume of $41 million. Celo is up 2.46% in the last 24 hours. Here’s everything you need to know about Celo: what is it, is it worth buying, and the top places to buy Celo before the end of 2021.   

Top places to buy Celo now

Binance

Binance has grown exponentially since it was founded in 2017 and is now one of, if not the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges on the market.

Buy CELO with Binance today

What is Celo?

Celo is a blockchain ecosystem focused on increasing cryptocurrency adoption among smartphone users. By using phone numbers as public keys, Celo hopes to introduce the world’s billions of smartphone owners, including those without banking access, to transacting in cryptocurrency. The network also allows for the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications as part of decentralized finance (DeFi). Its mainnet was launched in April 2020. Celo was originally founded by a team comprised of people from MIT, Stanford, Google, Visa, World Bank, Harvard University, and other prominent establishments.

The dedicated Celo Foundation is a non-profit which launched along with the mainnet, while the Celo Alliance for Prosperity is what the company describes as an “ecosystem of mission-aligned organizations.”

Should I buy Celo today?

Take all price predictions as the suggestion of a market expert/analyst. It’s impossible to make a completely accurate prediction. Take all investment advice with a grain of salt.    

Celo price prediction

Price Prediction forecasts the price of Celo will be at least $6.38 in 2022. It can go up to a maximum of $8 with the average price of $6.62 throughout 2022. In 2023, the price of Celo will reach a minimum of $9.48. The price of 1 Celo is expected to hit an all-time high of $14 in 2024.

Celo on social media

 

The post Celo is bringing crypto to smartphone users: here’s where you can buy Celo now appeared first on Coin Journal.

Monero rising steadily, gained 7% today: top places to buy Monero today

Monero has been rising steadily since it made good on its promise of a decentralized exchange built on privacy, speed, and low fees. If you want to know more about Monero, whether it’s worth buying, and the best places to buy Monero now, look no farther than this quick guide.  

Top places to buy Monero now

CAPEX

CAPEX.com is an awarded fintech brand, globally recognized for a strong presence in shaping the future of trading. The company focuses on making the markets more accessible & transforming the way people trade online.

Buy XMR with CAPEX today

Plus500

Plus500 is a leading provider of Contracts for Difference (CFDs), delivering Leveraged trading on +2,000 financial instruments, including Forex, Commodities, Indices, Shares, Options and Cryptocurrencies. CySEC license number (#250/14)

Buy XMR with Plus500 today

What is Monero?

Monero was launched in 2014 with a simple goal: to allow transactions to take place privately and anonymously. Even though it’s commonly thought that BTC can conceal a person’s identity, it’s often easy to trace payments back to their original source because blockchains are transparent. On the other hand, XMR is designed to obscure senders and recipients alike through the use of advanced cryptography. The team behind Monero say privacy and security are their biggest priorities, with ease of use and efficiency coming second. It aims to provide protection to all users — irrespective of how technologically competent they are. Overall, XMR aims to allow payments to be made quickly and inexpensively without fear of censorship.

Should I buy Monero today?

Monero can be a profitable investment, but it can reverse its gains just as easily. Do market research and read price predictions before you decide whether it’s worth buying. The following section may help.   

Monero price prediction

CoinPriceForecast predicts XMR to be worth $260 at the end of 2022. DigitalCoinPrice is even more bullish. The site is anticipating a price of $335 at the end of 2022. WalletInvestor is similar in its own prediction, expecting the coin to reach $321 in the same time frame. The biggest bull is Gov Capital, which expects Monero to nearly double over the next year. The site targets a price of $379 for the coin in 2022.

Monero on social media

The post Monero rising steadily, gained 7% today: top places to buy Monero today appeared first on Coin Journal.

Blueprint Capital CEO explains why financial innovation bodes well for crypto

  • The Blueprint Capital CEO Jacob Walthour told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that ignoring crypto as an asset class “would be a mistake”

  • Major companies, the likes of Starbucks, PayPal, and AT&T accept crypto as a form of payment

  • He notes that 14% of American adults already hold cryptocurrencies, with more to consider crypto if the US equity market stalls while cryptocurrencies soar.

The CEO of Blueprint Capital Advisors, a US-based asset management and alternative investment firm, Jacob Walthour, says cryptocurrency’s place as a financial innovation is a great plus to the sector.

Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box” host Joe Kernen on Wednesday, Walthour said that crypto’s growth over the last five years has been huge, despite its Wild West outlook at the time.

According to the investment manager, crypto provides an opportunity for investors, noting that his view of the market is “very constructive” and not informed by the fear of missing out, or FOMO as it is popularly known.

He suggests that the best way of looking at crypto is to consider where and how it all started. He points to Bitcoin’s launch almost 12 years ago and says its growth over this period has been immense.

The Blueprint Capital CEO says that at the moment, there are over 200 exchange platforms that support Bitcoin and that over 14% of American adults own cryptocurrencies.

From cash to check, card and e-payments to crypto

Walthour’s bullish outlook for cryptocurrencies also traces just how far the financial system has changed with innovation after innovation. He says that the world has ideas on how to pay for things developed from cash, to check, then credit and debit cards and e-wallets. Crypto is the latest innovation in this line of money evolution, he noted.

I think that the use of crypto, to the whole concept of a wallet, is kind of “where do we go from here?” and [I think] that bodes well for crypto overall in terms of its adoption rate over the next five to ten years,” he added.

Crypto is an asset class not to ignore

He then outlined how Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have increasingly been accepted as payment methods at some of the world’s leading companies and businesses. Among the many, he notes names like Starbucks, PayPal, AT&T, and Overstock.com as major players encouraging adoption.

In this respect, Walthour warns that it would likely be a mistake for investors to ignore crypto as an asset class. He adds that should a scenario arise where crypto outperforms the US equity market, then a “herd mentality” is possible, resulting in a lot of capital flowing from equities into crypto assets.

He also believes that digital coins outperforming equities adds legitimacy to the idea that “crypto is an asset class from the diversification point of view.”

An Arcane Research report published this week shows that Bitcoin has outperformed the S&P 500 over the last three years, with 2021 making that four given the crypto is up over 73% year-to-date compared to about 27% for the stock market index.

Arcane also predicts Bitcoin will outperform S&P 500 in 2022, with Fundstrat Global Advisors’ Tom Lee predicting an 11% jump for the stock index over next year.

The post Blueprint Capital CEO explains why financial innovation bodes well for crypto appeared first on Coin Journal.