BlackRock to offer crypto trading services to its customers

Global asset management firm BlackRock is reportedly set to offer digital asset trading services to its investors through the Aladdin portfolio management system.

BlackRock, a global investment asset manager with over $10 trillion worth of assets under management, is reportedly readying itself for a dive into crypto trading services.

The company, CoinDesk reported on 9 February, plans to have the new service available via its Asset, Liability, Debt and Derivative Investment Network (Aladdin).

According to sources familiar with the matter, and cited by CoinDesk, investors in the asset manager will get access to the crypto trading offering as well as a collateralized borrowing facility.

While BlackRock is eyeing this service for its clients, the timing and potential achievement of the project do not come as a surprise.

BlackRock’s interest in crypto has seemed to grow rapidly since news that a fund managed by the firm had bought the CME Bitcoin futures product. That was in March last year and in June signaled further interest in the crypto space by advertising a blockchain expert position for the Aladdin service.

The company then took another step into the crypto ecosystem when it submitted an application for an exchange-traded fund (ETF) with US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

According to the filing, the ETF index will track major blockchain technology companies across the US and across the world.

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9. Februar 2022

Litecoin v Bitcoin Cash – As bulls return to the market, these two are worthy buys

Key Points :

Litecoin and Bitcoin cash are two old-school cryptos.
Both are heavily correlated to Bitcoin.
Bitcoin rally could see these LTC and BCH make new highs in 2022.

Litecoin (LTC)

Litecoin is a popular, secure, and innovative cryptocurrency that can be used to make instant payments around the world. It’s also open-source, which means users have access to its source code by themselves. It offers faster transaction confirmation times as well as improved storage efficiency. LTC is the perfect complement or alternative for those leaning more towards shopping online without having an account with any specific retailer. In addition, they offer industry support from major players such as trade volume.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

Bitcoin Cash is a cryptocurrency that was created to accommodate blocks of higher capacity than Bitcoin. This allows for more transactions per block, thus making it easier on the network and saving people time when they want their money quickly! The two cryptocurrencies share many technical similarities and use essentially the same consensus mechanism; they have also put themselves on an agreed-upon limit for how many coins will ever exist–21 million each!

Which one is a better buy?

Both Litecoin and Binance coin are old-school cryptos and performed well in the 2017 cryptocurrency bull rally. However, they have since lost the spotlight to new shiny cryptos, especially meme coins and Metaverse cryptocurrencies.

That said they are still among the most fundamentally strong cryptocurrencies, especially in terms of adoption. However, the biggest factor that could help drive their price is a Bitcoin bull market since they are strongly correlated to its price.

So far, the odds seem to be in favour of such a rally in the short term. For instance, in the last few days, Bitcoin has blasted through major resistance at $44k and has been holding up pretty well above it. This could be a signal to a new bull run, one that could see Bitcoin blow past its $69k highs. If that happens, then LTC and BCH could make new highs too.

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9. Februar 2022

Shiba Inu v Dogecoin: SHIB stands better prospects – Here’s why

Key Points:

SHIB and DOGE have made millionaires in the past.
Their strong communities could see them rally again in 2022.
SHIB deflationary nature gives it an edge over DOGE.

Shiba Inu (SHIB)

Shiba Inu is a cryptocurrency that launched as an alternative to Dogecoin. They are meme coins, which means they have logos and graphics associated with them but serve no real purpose other than being funny or entertaining people online via social media platforms such as Facebook where users post photos on their walls just like you would do when participating in chat rooms back home!

Dogecoin (DOGE)

Dogecoin is a form of digital currency that allows people to exchange funds without relying on third parties such as banks or other financial institutions. Unlike traditional currencies though-such as dollars and euros-, each individual coin has its own unique value based solely on how much time it took for someone else to create them!

First minted back during December 2013 by Billy Markus from Portland Oregon USA., this fun cryptocurrency quickly gained traction among enthusiasts’ thanks largely due its witty logo featuring the popular internet meme known simply “doge”. Today there are over 100 million units already out of circulation.

Which one is a better buy?

Meme coins gave investors crazy returns in 2021. Anyone who had just $100 or more worth of SHIB or DOGE is now wealthy.

As bulls return to the market, these two could still go on to make massive gains, reminiscent of 2020/21. That’s because they now have much bigger communities, and adoption is growing. However, going forward SHIB is likely to pale Dogecoin in gains. That’s because Shiba Inu is deflationary and close to 50% of the total amount in circulation is already burned. Shiba Inu ecosystem is growing, and now includes a DEX (Shibaswap).

On its part, Dogecoin is heavily reliant on Elon Musk, and the Musk effect on it seems to be waning. This gives SHIB a better shot if bulls regain the market.

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9. Februar 2022

Bitcoin is more of a risk asset than an inflation hedge, Bank of America says

BofA says Bitcoin is not a good store of value or inflation hedge as long as it trades more like stocks than gold.

Bitcoin’s correlation to stocks has increased significantly since its peak in November 2021 and currently trades more like a risk asset that its reference as digital gold, analysts at Bank of America said on Wednesday.

According to Alkesh Shah, a lead analyst at the US banking giant, Bitcoin’s growing lockstep trading with stocks has removed the benefit the cryptocurrency had for investors as a hedge against inflation.

Volatility, Shah said in a note from the bank, meant it’s no longer trading alongside traditional hedge assets such as gold.

As such, the BofA analyst suggests that the flagship cryptocurrency is unlikely to gain traction, in current circumstances, as a store of value.

Insider quotes the Bank of America strategist as saying that correlation between Bitcoin and gold has shrunk to near-zero levels. Meanwhile, the crypto asset has seen the correlation with stocks surge to all-time highs during last month’s market sell-off.

And with Bitcoin trading in lockstep with the Nasdaq 100 and the S&P 500, it’s expected the digital gold would continue to lose its appeal as a possible ‘safe haven asset.’

BofA thus expects the benchmark crypto to lead the rest of the digital asset market in remaining risk assets as long as volatility remains so high.

While the analysts see volatility in Bitcoin prices as a factor likely to put investors in developed markets off, they say the outlook may be different in developing economies. The bank believes those in countries plagued by runaway inflation are likely to see BTC as a better inflation hedge or store of value.

Bitcoin traded to highs near $45,000 on Wednesday to maintain its slight upside momentum after plunging more than 50% from its peak last year. The cryptocurrency is now 35% off that peak, while gold has stayed around the $1,800 per ounce level.

Elsewhere, stocks have fluctuated massively year-to-date, with Nasdaq sinking into correction in January amid rising inflation and a hawkish tilt from the US Federal Reserve.

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9. Februar 2022

Solana v Terra – Why LUNA could outperform SOL in 2022

Key Points:

Both Solana and Terra went parabolic in 2022.
Solana and Terra could outperform the market again in 2022.
Solana’s security issues favour LUNA outperforming SOL this year.

Solana (SOL)

Solana is a blockchain platform that enables developers to create and run decentralised applications, or Dapps for short. It has been designed with scalability in mind so it can process high numbers of transactions without slowing down user experience like other blockchains. It has lower transaction fees and can process more transactions than other blockchains, making it faster in many ways.

Terra (LUNA)

Terra is a public blockchain protocol that creates stablecoins by using open market arbitrage incentives and decentralised Oracle voting. The result? Stablecoin holders can spend, save or trade their coins instantly across all major platforms with no transaction fee! Users get staking rewards as well as governance power in return for holding onto these tokens.

Which one is a better buy?

Both Solana and Terra had an amazing year in 2021. Now that bulls are returning to the markets; both could perform well. They could easily retest or surpass their most recent highs.

However, comparatively, Terra could give higher gains than Solana. That’s because Solana has experienced downturns recently that have put a dent to its credibility. Even a grayscale report on crypto pointed to this as a risk factor for Solana.

This is a factor that could easily see it experience more volatility when compared to Terra. Terra on the other hand has a lot going for it at the moment. It has built a reputation as one of the best cryptocurrencies for the launch of algorithmic stable coins.

Currently, Terra is the second-largest DeFi platform in the market, second only to Ethereum. This is a feat it has achieved in less than one year. With the demand for algorithmic stable coins on the rise in the market, LUNA has what it takes to grow exponentially since it is the power behind the Terra ecosystem.

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