Here is why Decentraland (MANA) token started the week with a surge

As the crypto markets starts recovering and trade sideways this week, Decentraland token jumped 25% and it’s still green.

At the time of writing, it was up 10.09% according to CoinMarketCap. It hit a high of $2.61 and a low of $2.36 in the last 24 hours.

But why is the MANA coin rallying, let’s take a deep dive to examine what is behind the current MANA price hike.

What is Decentraland?

Decentraland is a virtual reality platform built on the Ethereum blockchain with a Unity game engine to enable players to access exclusive experiences and purchase various NFTs.

Decentraland has two tokens, that is, MANA and LAND. MANA is an ERC-20 token that is burned to acquire non-fungible ERC-721 LAND tokens.

Decentraland has featured a number of experiences like the games and Casinos making it the most popular platform for users integrated with the latest crypto trends such as Play-to-earn, Defi, GameFi, and NFTs.

Why is Decentralnad (MANA) price rallying?

The current Decentraland (MANA) price surge is being attributed to the news of the Australian Open (AOMetaverse) closing party today that will feature Steve Aoki, a world-class artist.

Australian Open is one of the largest tennis tournaments in the world that is held annually in Australia at Melbourne Park.   The budget of the tournament for the year 2022 was $75 million

This year’s winner was Rafael Nadal, who broke a three-way tie with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, and claimed his 21st Calendar Slam where he won all the four major championships in the same sport and in the same calendar year.

You may be wondering what the connection between a tennis tournament and Decentraland is. But this year the Decentraland had been selected as the host for the Australian Open Tournament closing party. This shows a significant pivoting towards the Metaverse.

The whole event has brought massive attention towards MANA; something attributed to the current bullish momentum.

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LINK vs BAND – Which one is a better investment?

 Chainlink and Band protocol are two blockchain oracles that have been gaining momentum. Oracles are a new type of technology that enables the transfer of real-world data into the blockchain network. They make data readily available for blockchains and their smart contracts. It can be hardware, software, or consensus-based.

 Chainlink is the first oracle platform, and it was launched in September 2017 on the Ethereum blockchain. It aims to integrate off-chain data with existing smart contracts. It provides projects on the Ethereum blockchain with relevant data. In essence, it comprises nodes built on an oracle framework to transmit data and information from off-blockchain sources to the smart contracts on supported blockchains.

 Its execution process includes oracle selection, data reporting, and result aggregation. Like Chainlink, Band protocol connects the blockchain network with verifiable data from the outside world. It was initially built on the Ethereum blockchain in 2017 when it was launched. However, it was recently moved to the Cosmos network.

 It uses the Tendermint Delegated-Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm. Also, it has Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol that allows it to interact with other blockchains. It is aimed at improving speed, scalability, cross-chain interoperability, and data flexibility on the blockchain.

 While both offer nearly the same functionality, the Band protocol is interoperable, cheaper, faster, and easier to use. Moreover, data providers can earn their data native tokens for data provision. While the total and max supply of LINK is 1 billion, BAND is capped at 100 million.

 One LINK is worth $16.26 as of today having dropped by 68.8% from its ATH of $52.70 in May 2021. BAND, on the other hand, costs $3.50 right now which is 84.8% from its peak of $22.83 in April 2021. As blockchain oracles, BAND has the potential of outperforming LINK in the long run and is low right now that you can bag it massively. In the long run, its limited supply will contribute to driving its price upward.

 This is asides from its compatibility with other blockchains and eco-friendly nature. If you are looking for something stable and secure, LINK is the call. But if you want a long-term investment option, then go for BAND.

Cryptocurrency investment is very risky. Do not put the money you can’t afford to lose wholeheartedly. Deal wisely and do your research.

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LUNA vs AAVE – Which one is a better investment?

 Decentralized finance (DeFi) uses smart contracts to decentralize and disrupt the financial system. It aims to eliminate intermediaries, remove paperwork, and create equal opportunities. Blockchain technology has led to the creation of numerous DeFi platforms, including Terra and Aave, which would be a better buy between the native tokens of these two platforms.

 Aave was initially ETHLend when it was launched in 2017 by Stani Kulechov. It was one of the pioneer DeFi platforms that provided liquidity for borrowers and lenders in the crypto space. It also allowed users to stake their AAVE for rewards and discounts. Asides from this, it supports Aave pay, Aave clearing, and Aave gaming.

 LUNA is the native token of the Terra blockchain, a blockchain in 2018 by Daniel Shin and Do Kwon. It was built on the Cosmos SDK and operated on the Tendermint Delegated-Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm. It is a DeFi platform that allows the deployment of stablecoins. Transactions are settled instantly at low fees across borders. Mirror Finance, Anchor Protocol, and CHAI payment app are some projects on the ecosystem.

 While LUNA was created on the Terra blockchain, AAVE is an Ethereum token. This implies that AAVE will be affected by the high transactions fees of the Ethereum network. To get one AAVE, you need $152.65, whereas a LUNA costs $52.72.

 The increase in the adoption of the Terra blockchain is evident in the market cap of LUNA ($21.08 billion), unlike AAVE which has a low market cap ($2.04 billion). Similarly, their 24-hour market cap shows that LUNA is being traded largely compared to AAVE ($3 billion to $125 million). It is predicted that LUNA can do times four its current price before the end of the year.

 LUNA’s price would be driven by its significant role in the Terra blockchain as it helps to stabilize the economy amidst other functions. The price aside, LUNA is the best buy anytime any day. It is advisable to bag as much as you can before the bull run returns.

 However, this isn’t enough; do your research, average the dollar cost, and deal wisely.

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Polkadot traded at $18.88- support turns resistance level. Is it time to cash out?

  • Polkadot prices rose early in the trading day, breaking over the $18.51 barrier level.

  • Price movement was optimistic, hitting as high as $18.88, despite a 20% drop in trading volume.

  • Current trends indicate that selling pressure will increase as volatility rises.

After almost seven weeks of oscillation, the 21 January sell-off caused DOT to relinquish its oscillating pattern of $29.9-$23.11. Ever since, the bears have gained control, converting the $23.11 five-month support level into resistance.

The cryptocurrency plummeted to a 25-week low on January 24, posting a 38.34 percent drop. DOT created an ascending triangle on its 4-hour chart during the last several days as the bulls strengthened their pressure.

Source – TradingView

Polkadot price research indicates that the coin is on the rise. On the day’s session, the price jumped 4 percent to $18.88. In doing so, DOT broke over the $18.51 resistance level, which is currently at $20.44. Furthermore, trading volume for DOT declined by more than 20%, presenting a perfectly positive picture throughout the day’s trade.

Recent price movement suggests that most traders are ready to cash out, which will increase market volatility. 

From January 17, the DOT value has been associated with a sinking cryptocurrency market, but it has just seen its first daily uptick since then. Traders are anticipated to be wary of the present volatility, which will aid in pushing prices down in the next session.

DOT has formed an ascending triangle

The cryptocurrency plummeted to a 25-week low on January 24, posting a 38.34 percent drop. DOT created an ascending triangle on its 4-hour chart during the last several days as the bulls strengthened their pressure.

While in line with the price, the initial support was mainly near the 50-point level. Furthermore, the CMF (Chainlink Money Flow) recovered above the midpoint and demonstrated a positive bias. Nevertheless, the OBV was unable to overcome its first resistance.

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What asset is worth buying, Bitcoin or Ethereum?

Choosing between two assets can be a little confusing and even becomes riskier if one lacks a decent understanding of how the individual asset operates. However, in terms of buying and selling digital assets, the market is often examined with two parameters known as fundamental and technical analysis.

 In most cases, fundamental analysis is related to economic updates while technical analysis is based on the understanding of market price action.

And In terms of selecting which crypto assets to buy. In this article, you’ll discover what digital currency is worth investing your money in.

Bitcoin (BTC)

Recent research done on the 26th of January 2022 by 33 fintech specialists of the Finders panel, forecast the price of BTC to reach $94K before the end of the year. Additionally, the panel also has a long-term outlook for Bitcoin as they foresee the price of the asset reaching $192,800 in 2025 and $406,400 by the end of 2030.

While this may present an optimistic viewpoint to the Bitcoin market, on the other several market participants believe that the upcoming interest rate hike will affect the cryptocurrency market negatively. Conversely, other investors perceived this moment as the best time to buy the Bitcoin asset.

Ethereum (ETH)

From the NFT marketplace to the recent value of Ethereum in the cryptocurrency market. It should be noted that the ETH token has been losing ground to its counterparts in the NFT space.

Due to high transaction fees on the Ethereum network, other younger blockchains such as Solana (SOL), and Tezos are attracting NFT developers with less transaction fees when compared to the Ethereum gas fees.

With relation to congestion and high gas fee noted from the Ethereum blockchain. A lot of NFT enthusiasts are backing out from using the token for transaction purposes in the NFT marketplace.

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