Our July 2020 monthly newsletter includes: Liftoff: A curated list of recent Bitcoin content from Swan and around the web Behind the scenes updates from the Swan team
Brady Swenson
Aug 3, 2020August 3, 20207 min read7 minutes read
Liftoff: Is Bitcoin Headed Toward an All Time High?
On July 27th, Bitcoin broke out of a 2‑year downtrend, sending the price up to $11,400. BTC closed up 11% on the day, causing a frenzy of excitement. Let’s examine Bitcoin from a risk vs reward standpoint.
Now may be the best risk-adjusted time to buy Bitcoin in its 11-year history. While there might not be quite as much upside potential as when a Bitcoin costs a dollar, the risks today are significantly less.
Bitcoin is no longer an Internet curiosity. It has emerged as a significant player on the world stage. Companies such as Square, Visa, IBM, JP Morgan, and Fidelity are investing in Bitcoin projects.
Many of the most important investors on the planet are buying Bitcoin.
Even elements of the U.S. government are beginning to embrace Bitcoin. Late last year, U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry said in a hearing on cryptocurrency that “the world that Satoshi Nakamoto, author of the Bitcoin white paper, envisioned is an unstoppable force.” And just this month, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published a letter clarifying that national banks can now legally custody Bitcoin.
The list goes on and on, and the message is clear: Bitcoin is here to stay. In other words, the downside risk of owning Bitcoin has never been lower.
What About the Upside?
Although Bitcoin might sound “expensive” at $11,000.
The good news is there’s still a ton of upside. The total market cap of Bitcoin is around $200 billion. Respectable, but still tiny compared to significant assets like gold. Gold’s market cap is still about 50 times larger. Let’s assume Bitcoin reaches only 10% of Gold’s market cap… we’re looking at $50 thousand per Bitcoin or nearly 5x from today. There is plenty of room to run.
The World is Waking Up to Bitcoin
Every day more people are starting to buy Bitcoin as an investment. The current uncertainty in the macroeconomic climate doesn’t hurt either. Since there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoins, an increase in demand means the price can only go up. Do you think more or less people will buy Bitcoin in the future?
All indicators point to exhilarating years ahead.
A fun thread to enrich your understanding of Bitcoin. “hash functions” are like fingerprints for data. No tech background required.
Bitcoin Tidbit: What is “Stacking Sats?”
[/stak/-ING sats]
1. Verb: the act of regularly accumulating Bitcoin. This term has been organically adopted by the Bitcoin community because it’s a catchy phrase and acquiring small amounts of Bitcoin every week is the most rational approach to accumulating it. Sats is short for Satoshis, the smallest unit of Bitcoin. Matt Odell gets credit for popularizing the phrase, but the origin is unknown.
Example of stacking sats in a sentence:
Friend: hey do you trade BTC?
Me: No way, most traders lose all their money. I’m stacking sats with Swan.
Fidelity makes the case that Bitcoin is an aspirational store of value. The report explores the inherent characteristics that position Bitcoin to fulfill this role in the future and discusses factors that may drive greater demand for such utility.
Lyn Alden published an in-depth analysis highlighting three reasons she started buying Bitcoin in 2020. Lyn is another example of the macro investors getting into Bitcoin this year.
Breedlove explores money as a tool for trading human time and the implications throughout history. He argues that central banking is a weapon to steal time and inflict wealth inequality. Bitcoin, as incorruptible money, is the defense.
Yassine gives thoughtful rebuttals to common Bitcoin myths such as Bitcoin is too volatile, Bitcoin is a bubble, Bitcoin is for criminals, Bitcoin wastes energy, and more.
For most Bitcoiners, the mempool is simply a list of pending transactions. Zane argues they’re the centerpiece of the Bitcoin economy and totally underrated.
Highlights From Swan’s Content
Swan is dedicated to producing great content to educate and raise awareness about Bitcoin. Our blog, Swan Signal, features thoughts and opinions on Bitcoin from the Swan team and friends.
On our weekly live broadcast, Swan Signal Live, a pair of experts join us to discuss Bitcoin economics and technology. The live broadcast is then published as audio on the Swan Signal Podcast.
Join us for a discussion on the merits of being “Bitcoin-only, ” morality in Bitcoin, Bitcoin’s immune system, and the macroeconomic impact of Bitcoin.
Watch a great discussion about monetary manipulation, deflation/inflation, Bitcoin as an investment, the questions of a peaceful path to Bitcoin, and price speculation.
Many Swan members have increased their weekly purchase amounts over the past week. As always, you can update your plan from your dashboard.
We expect to launch one-time purchases in August. Stay tuned for that announcement soon!
Our weekly Swan Signal Live video and podcast format is receiving rave reviews. We carefully pair two guests, leading to unique insights not found anywhere else. SSL airs on Twitter and YouTube, or you can listen and subscribe to the audio podcast at swansignalpodcast.com
We are deeply thankful for all of you, our early adopters. Thank you for helping us take flight. We are proud to fly alongside you on this Bitcoin adventure.
Your turn… Did you like this newsletter? What do you think about Swan? Any suggestions? We’d love to hear from you.
P.S. Subscribe to the Swan Signal YouTube channel for full episodes, highlights, and our newly launched Bitcoin FAQ, in which Co-founder Yan Pritzker answers common Bitcoin questions.
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