cryptocurrency

5 Hottest Investment Trends For 2019

/ nancyrubin

Making money off proper investments is one of the cornerstones of capitalism. Essentially if you make a wager that the company you give money for is going to continue being successful, and if you’re right, you earn your fair share of the profit. Both you and the company that you invest in benefit from the decision. Not everyone knows how to properly invest, or even where to invest their hard-earned money. Here are some examples of where popular investment trends are heading in 2019.

1. Cryptocurrency

An interesting take on decentralized currency, crypto has become one of the most talked about and most controversial topics on the internet and in investment. It started spreading during Bitcoins’ massive increase in value from hundreds of dollars to twenty-thousand dollars in a very short amount of time. Following this, the currency soon lost half of its value in a similarly short amount of time. The instability of crypto has not deterred many investors who see a future in any of the numerous block-chain driven coins. The potential for fast trading and avoiding government manipulation is considered a very attractive trait in this business.

Others argue that circumventing regulation online, and the possibility of insider manipulation from the original creators who might hoard large amounts of the currency might be too much of a risk for future trading.

2. Trade options

Much like a regular stock, options trading allows you to control an asset and make a price movement. The difference is, you don’t have to actually own the stock itself. They have a very low price due to expiring within several months, and in some cases several weeks, depending on the stock itself. The price is way below the actual per-share price of the underlying asset. For just a few dollars you could trade Tesla or Google, or any of the giants provided.

Notably, the most you can lose through this investment is exactly what you put into it, and nothing more. Unlike futures, there is no additional margin call. Options trade is very complex and to be able to successfully make a profit off of it, you must do your research beforehand.

3. Tiffany & Co.

Known as one of the largest and oldest jewelry companies in the world, it has more than a hundred locations internationally, many of them in Australia. It is credited as the pioneer of the practice of using the carat as a weight standard for precious gems. Business is booming, as the company has topped earnings in the last six quarters straight, proving that it’s still on top of the game.

The new CEO has pushed the company to exceed investor expectations and stay ahead of its competitors. Luxury good business is expected to grow over the next few years, which is why some companies have upgraded Tiffany stocks and pegged it as one of the leaders in the industry.

4. Hire a broker

When the market shows signs of being up significantly, it seems like it should be an easy thing to invest properly and make some money, but the average Australian investor doesn’t do so well on his own without some kind of mediator. This is why many future investors opt for a sound alternative investment in Australia or other types of mediators to help them make the right decision when trading. A good broker can provide invaluable tips and guidelines for beginners and experts alike.

Some of them charge a fee for their help, but more often than not, the fee is well worth the help they provide when it comes to good investment ideas.

5. Forex trading

With a very low price of entry, Forex looks like a very attractive investment. Forex, or foreign currency trading, is also relatively simple to understand, even for beginner investors. Most of the investments and actions are located in just a couple of currency pairs. An online broker can even open a mini-account for you with a very small deposit of a hundred dollars or even less, in some cases. Beginner investors will find this to be a convenient option.

You can control more than your actual investments through leverage. The downside of this is that this will also increase your potential losses significantly. This makes leverage very attractive for those who like to gamble, but possibly harmful.

While these are some of the more popular and sure-fire decisions you can make in investing in 2019, they only scratch the surface of what’s out there. There are hundreds of new companies being made with creative, new ideas. Likewise, well-established companies are constantly thinking of new ways of making money for their investors. Brokers are constantly monitoring hot stocks for their clients. In the end, the choice of what to back with your money is yours alone, considering it is your money.

Guest author, Lucas, is a business consultant with a passion for writing. Doing his research, exploring and writing are his favorite things to do. Besides that, he loves playing his guitar, hiking and traveling.

Bitcoin explained – What it is and where you can buy it

/ nancyrubin

Many serious business people and investors have only a vague notion about what bitcoin actually is. If you ask them, there is a big chance that they will say: It has something to do with those cryptocurrencies that come up like mushrooms after the rain. If you’re reading this, chances are that you are a little bit confused too, so let’s get to the point.

Enabling direct transactions

Bitcoin is the world’s first cryptocurrency. It is entirely digital and not controlled by central authorities such as banks or governments. It was invented back in 2009, by an anonymous person under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. This still unknown person (or a group of people) was driven by an idea to enable sending and receiving payments without involving intermediaries, which is the case with traditional, government-issued currencies.

For example, if you’d like to use your credit card while traveling abroad, you will have to pay a fee to the bank that issued your card in order to make an international transaction. On the other side, bitcoin is absolutely independent of national states and banks and serves as a global currency. Given that there are no intermediaries, the transactions are performed directly, without the need for third-party fees.

Built on an absolute trust

A double-spending problem is another thing that motivated bitcoin founders to create the first decentralized currency. It represents a drawback in the standard monetary system; when the transfer of money is performed digitally, the digital files are used, and they can be duplicated or falsified. What it means is that someone with bad intentions can use this flaw to send or spend the same amount multiple times. Bitcoin is based on a technology that completely solves this problem. But how?

Bitcoin is based on a peer-to-peer technology called the blockchain. When someone sends some amount or buys goods and services using bitcoins, everyone in the bitcoin’s decentralized blockchain receives a copy of that transaction record. All the members of the blockchain then verify the transaction in order for it to be approved. Thus, the bitcoin network allows consensus among the members and eliminates the possibility of fraud or double spending.

The members of bitcoin’s blockchain network use very powerful hardware and software to inscribe these transactions into a digital ledger. This digital ledger contains records of all bitcoin transactions that have ever been made. The records about the transactions are called the “blocks”. In order to merge another block with the existing sequence of blocks, huge computational power is deployed by thousands of members (or the miners) that do it simultaneously.

An economic game-changer

Today we are witnessing a staggering rise in the value of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. Many people use cryptocurrency exchange platforms to invest in them. The value of these digital currencies changes every minute and users of these platforms buy them, wait for their price to rise and then sell them to earn a profit.

One of the best things about bitcoin is that you can use it regardless of the country you’re currently residing in. It can be used for purchasing a wide range of goods and services, such as hotels, flights, or even fast food. The infographic below illustrates interesting facts about bitcoin. It is clear that it will have a huge impact on the economy as we know it.

Bitcoin Infographics Kriptomat