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Topic: [FORBES] The Bitcoin Crash - New Article, Forbes Claim is Doom (Read 4109 times)

sr. member
Activity: 448
Merit: 250
Quote
The puzzling thing about Bitcoin, which I pointed out back in April, is that the currency doesn’t seem to have any fundamental value at all.
This statement is nonsense.  A bitcoin itself might not have any intrinsic value, but the bitcoin platform has plenty of fundamental value.  The author is dead wrong on this point.  The issues will get resolved in time, effective defenses against theft will be crafted, and bitcoin will survive.


Well, he obviously doesn't know that his bitcoin can get him high as shit.
full member
Activity: 168
Merit: 100
Bitcoin, the world’s first peer-to-peer digital currency, has lost almost half of its value against the dollar since the start of August, falling from $13.50 to around $7:




Hmm... I've seen something very similar somewhere...

Oh yeah:



Sure, it's a 10% drop vs a 50% drop but the point is this - all markets are collapsing (except Gold and Treasuries). BTC has volume measured in the thousands to 10's of thousands per day. The DJIA has a volume of 479 Million. BTC is completely unregulated, DJIA/NYSE is a regulated market.

So given that we've had a few flat out frauds recently and the market as a whole is collapsing, a 50% drop seems pretty reasonable. Somebody with better financial analysis skills might be able to show that given the macro picture a drop of 80% is more on order for a pico-cap unregulated instrument. Weak hands are getting shook out that will be buying back their coins at $10 or $15.
legendary
Activity: 2408
Merit: 1121
Dow Jones Index: 10,838.08 -606.53 (-5.30%)

Yeah, sounds like someone has bigger problems right now -- right Forbes? Luckily all their dollars are backed by the Federal Reserve, who will no doubt print more money to make everything 'okay'.

As long as the internet exists on this planet, bitcoin is fine. Can't say the same for the U.S. Dollar, though.

What a wonderfully red crashilicious-day.
hero member
Activity: 588
Merit: 500
That depends. If there are 7 million of - for example - a particular brand of washing machine and 1 million of them burst into flames, that obviously makes the remaining 6 million rather less valuable. (Also, most of the bitcoins lost so far have been stolen rather than destroyed, so the number in circulation hasn't decreased that much.) On the one hand you have the decrease in supply, and on the other loss in confidence in Bitcoins as a result of the heists.
Actually, I'd say the number in circulation has likely increased rather dramatically as a result of the heists.  Consider that the thefts were from people hoarding bitcoin and the thieves are likely trying to circulate them and cash them out as soon as possible.
Really? Hoarding? Do you even know what that word means? This doesn't make your company look good.
What aspect of what I said doesn't make sense to you?  The thieves stole money from people that were hoarding bitcoin and are (presumably) dumping it on the market.  The hoarders had taken money out of circulations and the thieves are taking it from the hoarders and returning it to circulation.  Seems logical, no?

Yes, except that you used the words "hoarding" and "hoarders" to describe something that isn't hoarding.
hero member
Activity: 868
Merit: 1008
That depends. If there are 7 million of - for example - a particular brand of washing machine and 1 million of them burst into flames, that obviously makes the remaining 6 million rather less valuable. (Also, most of the bitcoins lost so far have been stolen rather than destroyed, so the number in circulation hasn't decreased that much.) On the one hand you have the decrease in supply, and on the other loss in confidence in Bitcoins as a result of the heists.
Actually, I'd say the number in circulation has likely increased rather dramatically as a result of the heists.  Consider that the thefts were from people hoarding bitcoin and the thieves are likely trying to circulate them and cash them out as soon as possible.
Really? Hoarding? Do you even know what that word means? This doesn't make your company look good.
What aspect of what I said doesn't make sense to you?  The thieves stole money from people that were hoarding bitcoin and are (presumably) dumping it on the market.  The hoarders had taken money out of circulations and the thieves are taking it from the hoarders and returning it to circulation.  Seems logical, no?
sr. member
Activity: 326
Merit: 250
Atdhe Nuhiu
The statement, that there is "nothing" behind BTC is incorrect.

There is pure energy behind BTC and around price of energy the price of BTC has to fluctuate. BTC is function of energy and development of graphic cards. Now the price is too low, so probably no miners are around, so this way automatically money supply drops.

So actually it is more behind BTC than behind fiat money.
hero member
Activity: 588
Merit: 500
That depends. If there are 7 million of - for example - a particular brand of washing machine and 1 million of them burst into flames, that obviously makes the remaining 6 million rather less valuable. (Also, most of the bitcoins lost so far have been stolen rather than destroyed, so the number in circulation hasn't decreased that much.) On the one hand you have the decrease in supply, and on the other loss in confidence in Bitcoins as a result of the heists.
Actually, I'd say the number in circulation has likely increased rather dramatically as a result of the heists.  Consider that the thefts were from people hoarding bitcoin and the thieves are likely trying to circulate them and cash them out as soon as possible.

Really? Hoarding? Do you even know what that word means? This doesn't make your company look good.
hero member
Activity: 868
Merit: 1008
That depends. If there are 7 million of - for example - a particular brand of washing machine and 1 million of them burst into flames, that obviously makes the remaining 6 million rather less valuable. (Also, most of the bitcoins lost so far have been stolen rather than destroyed, so the number in circulation hasn't decreased that much.) On the one hand you have the decrease in supply, and on the other loss in confidence in Bitcoins as a result of the heists.
Actually, I'd say the number in circulation has likely increased rather dramatically as a result of the heists.  Consider that the thefts were from people hoarding bitcoin and the thieves are likely trying to circulate them and cash them out as soon as possible.
member
Activity: 105
Merit: 10
And as always, you can always remove 'Bitcoin' and replace it with 'USD' and all statements will be true.
You're trolling, right? Because the reason the same isn't true of the USD is fairly thoroughly explained in the bit of the article BitcoinPorn quoted.

The author is comparing the US dollar(supply value=trillions of dollars in total value) to the bitcoin? Come on...we know that the bitcoin wont be the size of the US dollar anytime soon. But what happens when the dollar collapses? The author says "So, barring a major screw-up by the Federal Reserve, we can count on the value of dollars not falling very much."....what planet is this guy on? In fact, we CAN count on the dollars falling...how does this blogger think the deficit is going to be paid? One or two years of actual payments in the last 30 or so years? LOL....not to mention promises made to other people. Debt is greater than the GDP! Interest rate of debt(assuming balanced budget) is greater than GDP growth rate! Of course debt is expanding 10%+ over 1-2 years, with no one having economic growth close to that. Now if you ask me, its going to be much much worse...the US dollar is about to devalue massively, probably could be slowly held off for 5 years if they play their cards right. But once the Eurozone falls out, the spotlight will be on the USA and we go third world.

Yeah, I know our lowest rating is AA. Wouldnt you give a AA rating to an unsecured loan from a company that has $100,000 in sales, $100,000 in debt(and also $10 million in promises to others) and has made 1 or 2 payments the last 30 years? Yeah, I would too. Tongue
sr. member
Activity: 364
Merit: 251
Did you expect an article of Praise instead?
The system will beat up on bitcoin every chance it gets.
sr. member
Activity: 448
Merit: 251
Bitcoin
I'm a modern artist, and my work is highly sought after. To date, I have created 10 pieces of art that had a fairly high and stable value--until a break-in occurred and two of the artworks were destroyed by people who don't like art. Now there are only 8 of my masterpieces in the world and their value went up because there's fewer works of art with my name on them. Granted, I have more art in the pipeline, therefore seeing the value of those remaining 8 pieces of art worth less when my new art enters the marketplace.

In a nutshell, if there's 7 million bitcoins, and 1 million are destroyed, doesn't that increase the value of the other 6 million?
That depends. If there are 7 million of - for example - a particular brand of washing machine and 1 million of them burst into flames, that obviously makes the remaining 6 million rather less valuable. (Also, most of the bitcoins lost so far have been stolen rather than destroyed, so the number in circulation hasn't decreased that much.) On the one hand you have the decrease in supply, and on the other loss in confidence in Bitcoins as a result of the heists.

That's the exact problem...   it can be fixed... and given enough time it will be fixed...  but honestly these criminals have set back bitcoins by at least 6 months,  or longer.

newbie
Activity: 38
Merit: 0
The only thing that will kill BTC are the hoarders who sit on more than 500 BTC hoping to just cash out.  Spend your BTC on businesses that will, in turn, encourage more to accept BTC.  If you won't spend it, give it to me and I will.

More particularly, buy drugs off of Silk Road with your BTC. Drugs are a great store of value, they have a long shelf-life, and are easily convertible. You'll be building the bitcoin economy and be able to hoard to your heart's desire!
full member
Activity: 140
Merit: 100
BitVapes.com
This what I posted for Mr. Unimaginative at Forbes..


Why do people keep saying that bitcoins have no fundamental value? Is a service a valuable consideration in the law? YES! Even a promise is a valuable consideration.

The bitcoin network and it’s nodes authenticate , verify and reverify a transaction over and over and over. You can’t access the network without bitcoins. They are a right of access. They are a license to use. All valuable considerations.
Third party authentication is obviously a valuable consideration, ask any notary public, clerk of court, or recorder of deed.


nice, I've been struggling to put into words to convey this fundamental value to bitcoin and you accomplished it well.
hero member
Activity: 686
Merit: 564
I'm a modern artist, and my work is highly sought after. To date, I have created 10 pieces of art that had a fairly high and stable value--until a break-in occurred and two of the artworks were destroyed by people who don't like art. Now there are only 8 of my masterpieces in the world and their value went up because there's fewer works of art with my name on them. Granted, I have more art in the pipeline, therefore seeing the value of those remaining 8 pieces of art worth less when my new art enters the marketplace.

In a nutshell, if there's 7 million bitcoins, and 1 million are destroyed, doesn't that increase the value of the other 6 million?
That depends. If there are 7 million of - for example - a particular brand of washing machine and 1 million of them burst into flames, that obviously makes the remaining 6 million rather less valuable. (Also, most of the bitcoins lost so far have been stolen rather than destroyed, so the number in circulation hasn't decreased that much.) On the one hand you have the decrease in supply, and on the other loss in confidence in Bitcoins as a result of the heists.
full member
Activity: 224
Merit: 100
This what I posted for Mr. Unimaginative at Forbes..


Why do people keep saying that bitcoins have no fundamental value? Is a service a valuable consideration in the law? YES! Even a promise is a valuable consideration.

The bitcoin network and it’s nodes authenticate , verify and reverify a transaction over and over and over. You can’t access the network without bitcoins. They are a right of access. They are a license to use. All valuable considerations.
Third party authentication is obviously a valuable consideration, ask any notary public, clerk of court, or recorder of deed.
hero member
Activity: 914
Merit: 500
Here's all I got from the article:

sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 250
1 - dude saw 25,000 coins vanish from his desktop
2 - Goxed
3 - polish exchange 17,000 coins
4 - mybitcoin 150,000 coins
---- this list goes on....

It's incredible that Bitcoin has kept its value as much as it has given what's happened. Just imagine how strong it will be once the Bitcoin community has sorted its security issues.

To say that Bitcoin is in a deflating bubble is a bit like saying gold's in a deflating bubble if Fort Knox gets raided every other week. (Assuming there's any gold in there)
sr. member
Activity: 448
Merit: 251
Bitcoin
I'm a modern artist, and my work is highly sought after. To date, I have created 10 pieces of art that had a fairly high and stable value--until a break-in occurred and two of the artworks were destroyed by people who don't like art. Now there are only 8 of my masterpieces in the world and their value went up because there's fewer works of art with my name on them. Granted, I have more art in the pipeline, therefore seeing the value of those remaining 8 pieces of art worth less when my new art enters the marketplace.

In a nutshell, if there's 7 million bitcoins, and 1 million are destroyed, doesn't that increase the value of the other 6 million?

That's not what happened... some of those coins (I know for sure Meze Grill in New York) earned them by selling sandwiches....  so the thief came in and stole his hard earned work.    He didn't destroy the coins,  he just gave a big FU to hard work and stole them... and now is dumping them on the market.

I'd be surprised if the grill continues to accept bitcoins if this is allowed to continue.



legendary
Activity: 1918
Merit: 1570
Bitcoin: An Idea Worth Spending
SOB! Forbes has Trolls. This enforces the truism that one should read articles before commenting on such, but I feel my comments aren't that badly.
legendary
Activity: 1918
Merit: 1570
Bitcoin: An Idea Worth Spending
the problem is the article is partially correct.  

If we continue down this path of stealing, hacking and robbing each other regarding bitcoins,  it WILL fail.    I spent large amounts of money building flexcoin... I'm betting big that we'll be okay....   but in order for that to happen there cannot be another "150,000 coins stolen / robbed " every 10 minutes....  

think about it.

1 - dude saw 25,000 coins vanish from his desktop
2 - Goxed
3 - polish exchange 17,000 coins
4 - mybitcoin 150,000 coins
---- this list goes on....

I understand hackers...  but what's happening with most of those cases isn't hackers...  it's criminals and thieves...  that's not the same thing...   not even close.

hacking always meant (at least when I grew up) to try to break something... just to see if you can....   and if it turns out to be a security flaw you told the developer before publishing it.  

This?  These are people that steal bitcoins and in essence destroying what they are stealing,  hence they are idiots.

Picture this...  a company builds a program that secures stock transactions on NASDAQ and is listed on the said exchange....   hackers target the company,  and hack their software where they "steal a bunch of shares of it" ... then the criminals try to dump it as everyone else is because their "secure" software isn't so secure.

In a nutshell,  each time they are stealing it it's destroying the very nature of what makes it appealing...  hence destroying it's value.

It's my feeling that these people are not actually motivated by money...  they have a goal.. and that includes destroying bitcoins.



I'm going to read the article after I make two comments. Since I opted to quote "the founder", I state my second comment, first.

Quote
In a nutshell,  each time they are stealing it it's destroying the very nature of what makes it appealing...  hence destroying it's value.

Please correct me if my example's incorrect:

I'm a modern artist, and my work is highly sought after. To date, I have created 10 pieces of art that had a fairly high and stable value--until a break-in occurred and two of the artworks were destroyed by people who don't like art. Now there are only 8 of my masterpieces in the world and their value went up because there's fewer works of art with my name on them. Granted, I have more art in the pipeline, therefore seeing the value of those remaining 8 pieces of art worth less when my new art enters the marketplace.

In a nutshell, if there's 7 million bitcoins, and 1 million are destroyed, doesn't that increase the value of the other 6 million?

Comment 2 (before I read the article):

From Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes

Quote
Forbes.com now employs a new slogan – "Information for the World's Business Leaders". According to Forbes.com, the Web site is among the most trusted resources for senior business executives, providing them the real-time reporting, uncompromising commentary, concise analysis, relevant tools and community they need to succeed at work, profit from investing and have fun with the rewards of winning.

My question(s) (although you may have been expecting a comment): Aren't Forbes articles mainly read by investors seeking out places to invest their money? Aren't Bitcoin now on the radar of even more investors due to this article? Aren't some investors favor a downturn in some investments, seeing a future correction because the fundamentals are sound? (Thank god all my high school English teachers aren't around any-more!)

Now, don't bother me while I go and read the article. I sure the hell hope it aren't long, for I have lots of stuff to do.
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