Our Opinion
Miguel says he might, but he “wouldn’t encourage people to hop on too quickly” because “making such an investment carries massive risks because of the low trading volume in these cryptocurrencies in comparison to fiat currency.” He believes they are “susceptible to volatility and pump-and-dump schemes.” Robert also thinks he may be, reasoning “So long as people treat whatever money they invest as ‘money wasted’ or money they can afford to waste, they can take a ‘punt.’ “ He sees the word “punt” as a good way to describe the situation because “so much of this market is just based on speculation.” But if you’re looking for safe, stable investments that you can sit comfortably with for years, he suggests you look elsewhere. He stresses, though, that he’s no expert on the matter.
It’s not something that crosses Phil’s mind, as he doesn’t have any free money to invest. However, like Miguel, he would be “very concerned about the volatile nature of cryptocurrency and how unlinked it is from world markets.” While admittedly finance is always virtual and intangible, with “currencies based on real case made in real banks, you have some notion there are real banknotes somewhere with your name” and that they won’t suddenly be worth nothing. Damien won’t be putting his money into cryptocurrencies this year “with its current volatile nature.” He’s keeping an open mind, however, noting he will “adopt a wait-and-see approach and see how it progresses this year.” Simon believes it looks like an “if you have money you don’t mind losing, give it a shot” scenario. He can’t fault anyone who wants to jump in who has money to burn and wants in on the “exciting world of cryptocurrency.” Regardless, he’s not willing to jump into it himself right now so will be missing it. Ada does have small investments in cryptocurrencies and notes that so far she hasn’t suffered any losses. She plans to continue to invest but notes she will “try to diversify” her portfolio. “No major amounts, though; it’s too volatile.”
Alex notes, “Considering the near certainty of a major correction, I’ll be holding out for now to wait and see what happens in the market.” Seeing it as “much too speculative,” Ryan won’t be investing in cryptocurrencies either. He explains they are “essentially a commodity and not a currency” and are “only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for them.” This is because “unlike standard commodities like gold, cryptocurrencies are not backed by anything tangible, meaning they can soar, or drastically decline, in value at the whim of the public.” Yet if you have money you don’t mind losing, he thinks it could be fun. As for myself, I’m not into investing at all. I’m just not into finances at all. I’m not particularly fond of dealing with regular paper money currency, so I have no desire to deal with a digital version of currency. But even if I did, I wouldn’t be trying cryptocurrencies just yet. I feel it’s too early in the process to jump in.
Your Opinion
Do you agree with some of our writers? Do you feel it’s just too risky to jump into investing? Or have you been considering it? Maybe you already have started investing in it. Have you or will you invest in cryptocurrencies in 2018? Let us know by adding your thoughts into the comments section below.
