HODL is very popular in Bitcoin world and word come into existence when a bitcoin believer
GameKyuubi misspelt the word HOLD under the influence of alcohol urging fellow bitcoiners not to sell their bitcoin in the crashing market but instead wait for market to recover.
The misspelt word got the fancy of many and HODL stratergy born which simply means to hold your bitcoin in all circumstances. Ironically it is in total contrast with the situation where
laszlo offered 10000 bitcoins for pizza.
Bitcoiners start popularizing the HODL strategy so much that it raise an important question whether it is a good stratergy or not. First of all,HODL is not a new concept, whenever the market tanks experts always suggest not to panic sell but advice to buy more of stock in cheap to average out and get more gains when market stabilize.
HODL as a concept or stratergy is not at all beneficial to bitcoin ecosystem. Bitcoin is a currency and currency needs to flow, be part of the transactions, involving more and more people using the currency.If nobody use it as a currency then it will just become a speculative asset. Technically Bitcoin network need transactions to keep the miners engaged because block rewards are going to half after every 4 years and Satoshi believed that earning from transaction fees will keep the miners incentivized in future.If there is no transaction fees for miner to earn then why miner will be supporting the network. If there is no network then there will be no Bitcoin, So HODL principle is basically against the Bitcoin network as well as the satoshi dream.
We exactly need a eco system in which we can earn the bitcoin, spend the bitcoin and save some for our future uses. It is similar system to fiat but instead earning in fiat we need to earn in bitcoin.This will hep us to constantly keep earning the Bitcoin and make us free from worry that what is the price of bitcoin against USD and we will be saving in a global currency. HODL mentality will not allow this ecosystem to be active.
In the end, by HODL you might have saved your investment in troubled time but if you think instead of HODL if you tried to average out your Bitcoin or just doubled up then you will be more happier and have more Bitcoin to transact.
So say no to HODL instead try to earn it and spend and let the currency keep flowing.
Disclaimer: This is the original post by me though I first posted it in Fit to Talk Board.
https://fittotalk.com/english-talk/index.php?topic=183.0