Assets, Bitcoin

How Is Bitcoin Doing Today?

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a form of electronic cash. It is a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single administrator that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without the need for intermediaries.

Transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain. Bitcoin is unique in that there are a finite number of them: 21 million.

Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as mining. They can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and services.

As of February 2015, over 100,000 merchants and vendors accepted bitcoin as payment.

NOTE: WARNING: Investing in Bitcoin is a high-risk activity. Please do your due diligence and research before investing. Be aware of the potential financial risks associated with trading in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Be sure to understand the implications of taxation, market fluctuations, security, liquidity, and other issues relevant to the investment decision. You are responsible for your own decisions and any losses you may incur in engaging in this activity.

The price of a bitcoin reached $1,139.89 on 4 November 2013.

This surge in value resulted in unprecedented media coverage and speculation. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced on 26 September 2017 that it would allow the CME Group and Cboe Global Markets to list bitcoin futures, and the NAsdaq is considering doing the same in 2018.

Bitcoin has been criticized for its use in illegal transactions, its high electricity consumption, price volatility, thefts from exchanges, and the possibility that bitcoin is an economic bubble.

Bitcoin has also been used as an investment, although several regulatory agencies have issued investor alerts about bitcoin. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has twice rejected proposals for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to track the price of bitcoin.

As of September 2017, over $140 billion worth of bitcoins have been mined which is about 14% of the total supply which is expected to be reached by 2040.

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