Assets, Ethereum

How Is Ethereum Classic Doing Today?

Ethereum Classic is an open-source, public, blockchain-based distributed computing platform featuring smart contract (scripting) functionality. It provides a decentralized Turing-complete virtual machine, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which can execute scripts using an international network of public nodes.

Ethereum Classic also provides a value token called “classic ether”, which can be transferred between participants, stored in a cryptocurrency wallet and is used to compensate participant nodes for computations performed. The classic ether token is traded on cryptocurrency exchanges under the ticker symbol ETC.

In 2016, a decentralized autonomous organization called The DAO, built on top of the Ethereum network, raised $150 million USD from investors to fund development of Ethereum applications. The DAO was hacked in June 2016, and $50 million worth of classic ether was stolen as a result.

The event caused a split in the Ethereum community, with some members feeling that the code should be changed to refund the stolen funds, while others maintained that the code should not be changed and that “code is law”. As a result of this disagreement, the Ethereum blockchain was hard-forked on 20 July 2016 to create two separate blockchains: Ethereum Classic (ETC) and Ethereum (ETH).

NOTE: WARNING: Investing in Ethereum Classic (ETC) is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Prices can fluctuate quickly and unpredictably, and investors may lose their entire investment. There is no guarantee that ETC will continue to increase in value or remain stable. Before investing, you should carefully consider your own financial situation and consult with a professional financial advisor.

Ethereum Classic has been described as “a continuation of the original Ethereum blockchain”, with its original code and transaction history intact. The fork occurred because a group of individuals believed that the DAO hack demonstrated that the Ethereum codebase was not immutable after all, and that it needed to be changed in order to refund the stolen funds.

The other side of the fork disagreed with this assessment, believing that changing the code would go against the principles of decentralization and immutability that are central to blockchain technology.

As of July 2018, Ethereum Classic’s market capitalization is around $1.7 billion USD, making it the 5th largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

ETC is traded on a number of cryptocurrency exchanges and is also available for purchase with fiat currencies such as USD, EUR and GBP on decentralized exchanges such as EtherDelta and IDEX.

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