BTC Keeps Building Lower Lows – Could Drop to 7K

What a news-filled morning. We find out that South Korea has finally decided its ban on cryptos will take effect. What does this mean going forward?
Looking at BTC over the last 12 hours or so, there’s been limited excitement and a new trading range has been established. It has leveled off and stayed in the mid 10k range now, a new level from the previous range at mid 11k. So, we’ve built a lower support floor.
If BTC keeps building lower lows, look for a new low at the 7k level. There is too much at play right now with the news from South Korea (although I do not fancy fundamentals whatsoever) and also too much at play when it comes to your money.
What we must wait to see happen to continue the bull run is a solidified grounding at 10k, then 11k. But as of right now, BTC has continued to weaken. As long as those technicals hold, the continuation to a new high is still feasible.
BTC is currently in a wait zone. SELL if you own. Sit back and keep up with the playbook.

CNBC Hosts Bitcoin Pissing Match

What one thinks of bitcoin and other decentralized cryptocurrencies tends to have strong correlations with one’s ideology, so it is unsurprising that proponents and skeptics alike often approach the topic with a zeal they do not reserve for traditional markets.

This phenomenon was on full display during a recent CNBC segment, in which two panelists engaged in a verbal brawl over bitcoin’s recent performance. The network edited out the heated exchange from its video archive, but the rest of the clip has been preserved on YouTube.

Evercore ISI technical analyst Rich Ross opened the segment — which aired last Thursday — by explaining why he believes cryptocurrency is a bad buy, citing the market’s recent ~50 percent correction, the low average age of cryptocurrency investors, as well as the inaccurate claim that ethereum has only been trading for approximately six months.

“Let’s not even compare this to stocks for a second. What bothers me, we’re staring at the greatest bull market in the last 20 years, where you can double your money in like the best industrial companies — like a Boeing, which is sort of pillaring here for no good reason, up over 200% over the past two years and we’re talking about this stuff here that’s lost over 50% of its value in a month,” Ross said.

This analysis, of course, ignores that bitcoin is still up more than 1,000 percent for the past 12 months — even after this recent correction.

CNBC regular Dan Nathan — a cryptocurrency proponent — took offense at Ross’ comments, arguing that his claim that cryptocurrency had no fundamentals was akin to that of Web 1.0 skeptics.

“You guys like it when we fight, so let’s fight for a little bit,” Ross retorted. “You’ve been bearish [on stocks] for two years….You’re not helping people make money. Let’s call it what it is.”

The other panelists started to defend Nathan, who quickly jumped back in.

“You don’t know what I’ve done, you don’t know what my call is, so go piss off, seriously,” he told Ross.

Fast Money host Melissa Lee rushed to end the segment, but not before Ross landed one last blow.

“A tough moment here on Fast Money,” he quipped.

“As a crypto believer, I am still smart about my hedges…”

We have said a few times now that cryptocurrencies are not a safe haven (if anything really ever is) for long-term investing. That’s right, to all of you that truly believe there is some substance behind cryptos as of this moment, think again.
I’d like to go over the long-term implication of putting your eggs in this basket alone.
Consider the fact that anyone can open a line of credit, for example, with American Express. Then, they can essentially hurry on over to their coinable account and ride ten grand worth of coinage.
Sounds pretty cool, right? So what happens if it swings the wrong way?
Panic. All of these investors begin to sell off in what they justify as “risk management” of their personal finances. Although, these aren’t even their dollars at play. They are the credit systems.
This is only one example of how the microeconomics of the murky crypto waters are at play. They show a system in which there are still many flaws, although the security of the system is undeniably a solid piece of technology.
So what to do next? How can you hedge yourself?
Follow a basic, simple rule: Invest in the market with a tangible item that has been used for THOUSANDS of years. Gold is a decent start. Other commodities could work just as well. Regardless, just be sure to protect yourself and be smart with your money. Control your losses, and ensure that if that day does come that everyone is totally off the rails and dumping their digital currencies, you can rest assured you’re investment is protected.

Stuck At $12K – Bitcoin Needs Catalyst To Breakout

Stuck in the doldrums today, bitcoin needs a quick break above $12,500 or the tide may turn in favor of the bears, the charts suggest.

The “V” shaped recovery in bitcoin (BTC) from Wednesday’s low has stalled below the $12,000 mark in the last 12 hours. Prices on CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index (BPI) did rise to $12,045.09 at 15:14 UTC yesterday, before retreating to sub-$11,500 levels by 22:00 UTC.

The slide from the high of $12,045 was extended further to $10,988.79 in Asian hours today. However, bitcoin soon regained poise and rose to an intraday high of $11,808.49 (at 08:44 UTC).

As of writing, bitcoin is trading at $11,660. The world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has appreciated by 3.17 percent in the last 24 hours, according to data source OnChainFX. BTC is also up 27 percent from the week’s low of $9,199.59 (as per the BPI).

Read the full article here: Bitcoin Stuck at $12K

However, the price chart analysis says the immediate outlook is neutral and only two consecutive daily closes (as per UTC) above $12,500 would improve odds of BTC rallying sharply in line with the historical pattern.

Five Minute Crypto Crash Review: Don’t Do This!

2018 is scarcely older than a fortnight and already it’s shaping up to be more action-packed, exhilarating, and occasionally terrifying than the previous year. To date January has witnessed the rise of vaporware, billion dollar market caps gained and lost, and XRP rise up to threaten The Rippening before slinking back to its corner. At its lowest point on Tuesday, Ripple came close to the dollar mark, down 65% from its January high.

While some traders panic sold and others hodled for dear life, a few tried to ride the waves that saw bitcoin buffeted every which way. At least one tradercalled it right, noting the previous support line that bitcoin would bounce off, and so it proved to be. 100 million tethers were released into the fray in what one trader dubbed crypto’s “quantitive easing”, unleashing a green candle that temporarily spared bitcoin’s blushes. Despite clawing its way back over $11k and holding $11,200 for a few hours, as of Wednesday 9am (NYT), BTC is close to four figures once more.