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Bitcoin vs. Ripple Explainer

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Bitcoin Ripple

Whether you’re new to the world of blockchain technology or are simply looking to sharpen your sensibilities when it comes to distinguishing the market’s key players, there is always more to learn. Cryptocurrency trading is fuelled by hype and that means that new players are always popping up and disappearing. Bitcoin remains the constant staple in this everchanging landscape and also serves as a useful benchmark against which to understand and evaluate other actors. Find out more about 1 BTC to USD here. If you’ve got things like a graph of bitcoin price history saved to your bookmarks, there’s a good chance you’ve also encountered the name Ripple. If you are interested to learn how it stacks up against its forebearer, read on to discover the similarities and differences between Bitcoin and Ripple. 

The risk remains the same

One thing to clear up right off the bat is that all cryptocurrencies exist in a volatile and very speculative market. Although a lack of regulations is part of the draw, it also means that anything goes and there are really no guaranteed bets. Ripple and Bitcoin are both parts of this ecosystem, so keep in mind that if you’re thinking about investing in either, or any blockchain cryptocurrency for that matter, you should go in ready to potentially lose your complete initial investment. When it comes to investing in any cryptocurrency, you’d be best to hedge your bets and only put forth capital that you would be comfortable without. 

Ripple 101

When thinking about Bitcoin, most people understand it as a digital currency that can be used to purchase a variety of goods and services in the online marketplace. Therefore, the number one thing to understand about Ripple is that it serves a slightly different function. Simply put, Ripple is a system for currency exchange, payment settling, and remittance that can be used by payment networks and banks to provide higher transparency and security. Unlike Bitcoin, Ripple was never designed to be an independent method of payment. One of the biggest advantages of Ripple is that it allows for a fairly seamless transfer of assets that plays out in near real-time, providing more peace of mind for those involved in the transaction. 

Ripple doesn’t use blockchain

Another important distinction to make between Bitcoin and Ripple is the fact that Ripple doesn’t use blockchain to fulfill its function. Unlike Bitcoin, Ripple works through a network of validating servers and crypto tokens. The tokens are often referred to as Ripples but are formally called XRP. These are the actual cryptocurrency being exchanged in Ripple, which uses a distributed consensus ledger. 

A closer look at XRP tokens

In terms of how Ripple replaces standard settlement systems, it is useful to think of XRP tokens as a replacement for US dollars, which are frequently used as a middle ground currency for exchanging others. Due to established standards of exchange and the regulations in place, using US dollars not only takes considerably more time but is also accompanied by the dreaded currency exchange fees. 

On top of costing more than most are happy to pay, standard international transfers can sometimes take three days or more to process. Enter the XRP token. Completely supplanting the process, the value of the assets being exchanged are first converted into XPR (as opposed to USD), allowing for fees to be wiped away and the waiting time to be reduced from days to mere seconds. Returning to the Bitcoin comparison, it is worth noting that Bitcoin transactions tend to take around 10 minutes, and although this is certainly less than three days, it is still significantly more than the five-second transaction rate Ripple can achieve. Even by considering to use automated crypto robots such as Quantum AI, BitAlpha AI, BitIndex AI, Bitcoin Prime and Bitcoin Billionaire, you would be able to fully automate your trading activities.

Different origin stories 

Unlike the more mysterious emergence of Bitcoin, which is currently maintained by a team of dedicated developers and not tied to any government, bank, or third part, Ripple is more mainstream. Founded in 2012, Ripple was developed by an actual company and had set goals outlined from the get-go. This more standard entry onto the world stage has likely been one aspect that has helped make Ripple more palatable for major financial institutions. Santander and Fidor Bank are just a few of the big names who have said that they are in the process of testing or even implementing various applications of the Ripple Network payment apparatus. 

No mining for Ripple

Another difference that might be hard for Bitcoin enthusiasts to wrap their heads around is that Ripple was not, in fact, designed to be mined at all. An important part of the Bitcoin ecosystem, miners of the cryptocurrency will typically be rewarded for their efforts in the form of a new Bitcoin. Ripple, meanwhile, is pre-mined. There are currently around 38 billion XPR tokens populating the market. The remainder resides in Ripple labs and will be released onto the market in incremental amounts. For further information on Bitcoin payments, check out dchained.

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Bitcoin

Bitcoin Price Outlook Ahead of Powell’s Speech

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Bitcoin price has been relatively stable over the past few days after volatility picked up during the weekend, pushing the price lower by more than 3%. At the time of writing, the flagship cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was trading at $26,255.55. As it continues to dominate the crypto market, ranking 1st, its total market capitalization slightly declined over the past day to $5.12 billion. Additionally, the total volume of BTC traded over the same period slumped by more than 32%.

Economic Concerns

Data published on Tuesday showed that the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index declined in September to 103.0, down from a revised 108.7 in August. This was its lowest level since May 2023 and marked two consecutive months of decline. The Present Situation Index, which measures consumers’ assessment of current business and labor conditions, rose slightly to 147.1 from 146.7.

The Expectations Index, which measures the consumers’ near-term prospects for business, income, and labor market conditions, dipped to 73.7 in September, down from 83.3 in the prior month. The Expectations Index fell below the crucial level of 80, which signals a recession within the next year. Consumer fears of a looming recession also ticked higher in September amid the short-term economic contraction anticipated in the first half of 2024.

Focus will be on Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech on Thursday which is likely to add volatility and create a bearish environment for traders. As such,…

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Bitcoin Price Climbs Above $27,000 Ahead of the FOMC Monetary Policy Meeting

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Bitcoin price jumped more than 3% on Monday, hitting its highest level since August 2023 ahead of the highly anticipated FOMC meeting. At press time, the premier cryptocurrency was trading 2.70% higher at $27,244.20. The digital asset has gained nearly 5% in the month to date and 64.71% in the year to date. Bitcoin’s total market cap has climbed by 3% over the past 24 hours to $531 billion, while the total volume of the asset traded over the same period increased by almost 100%.

Fundamentals

Bitcoin price was showing signs of recovery on Monday from the losses made in the last cryptocurrency market dip. Bitcoin flipped above the important level of $27,000, while Ethereum held above important support levels. The overall cryptocurrency market was in the green with the global crypto market cap up by 2% to $1.08 trillion for the day, while the total crypto market volume increased by more than 56%.

Even so, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which is a major measure of the crypto market sentiment by participants, was in a fear level of 38, almost like last week’s reading. This points to a continued decline in risk appetite by investors, which could prompt them to sell further.

Despite Monday’s bullish rally, interest rate decisions due later in the week may introduce downward pressure on cryptocurrencies. The US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is slated to commence its…

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Bitcoin Price Flips Above $26,500: What’s Next?

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Bitcoin price has been showing signs of a potential short-term recovery over the past few days and even tapped its highest level in two weeks, above $26,500. The premier cryptocurrency has gained nearly 2% over the past week, erasing some of the losses made in the previous days. Even so, the asset remains 9% below in the month to date. Bitcoin’s total market cap has climbed by more than 1% over the last day to $518 billion, while the total volume of BTC traded over the same period decreased by more than 9%.

Inflation Concerns

Like most major altcoins, Bitcoin price noted a slight bearish initial response to the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data published on September 13. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed headline inflation by the CPI came in at 3.7%, ahead of the predicted 3.6% year-on-year and higher than July’s 3.2% rate. Annual core CPI, which excluded food and energy prices, decreased to 4.3% in August, in line with forecasts and down from July’s 4.7% reading.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) data released on Thursday suggested bearable levels of inflation following a monthly increase of 0.7% and an annual increase of 1.6% in August. The monthly reading was higher than the estimated 0.4% increase. The core PPI came in at 0.2% for the month, in line with analysts’ expectations.

Retail sales data also published on Thursday…

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