Blogs
Network Congestion and More: Why this Wall Street Firm is Shorting Ethereum (ETH)
The Ethereum (ETH) platform was the pioneer of smart contracts that enabled the crypto-verse to enjoy decentralized applications as well as ICOs. This aspect of the platform is the reason the digital asset skyrocketed from obscure levels of $8 only last year in January, to $1,400 around January 17th this year. This is a percentage increase of 17,400% in 12 months. ETH has since declined to current levels of $478. Some crypto enthusiasts have even started considering Ethereum Classic (ETC) as a possible investment option.
Scalability issues
This is due to the fact that the ETH platform is yet to solve critical scalability issues that have peaked due to network congestion whenever a new decentralized application is launched. Cryptokitties is the best-known DApp that congested the ETH network. There is also Shrimp farm and Pepe the farmer.
The issue of network congestion is the reason the New York-based Tetras Capital, has shorted Ethererum (ETH). Shorting an asset usually involves borrowing a certain amount of it, selling it and waiting for it to tank in the markets. Once it does so, you rebuy the borrowed amount at a cheaper rate, and you keep the difference.
The firm has even released a 41-page ‘thesis’ as to why Ethereum might stumble along the way and not continue gaining as many crypto-traders and enthusiasts had believed. Key to why ETH will struggle, is the persistence of technical issues, decentralization issues and possible regulation on surrounding ICOs that will be deemed as securities offering. Tetras believes the hype around the digital asset known as Ethereum, is not justified.
Timothy Young, a former entrepreneur who is shorting ETH through his San Francisco family office, Hidden Hand Capital, had this to say about his decision with respect to ETH:
“In the long term, I think they’ll solve a lot of scaling challenges. But in the short term, there’s a disconnect between the price and underlying technology. Just because something is a good idea doesn’t mean it’s a good investment.”
For those who have been keen followers of Global Coin Report, we have put forth the idea that Ethereum faces steep competition from coins belonging to projects that have solved the scalability and smart contract vulnerabilities evident on its platform.
To begin with, there is Tron (TRX) which has a new mainnet that was developed using Java programming language and is in the process of launching a Virtual Machine that will be compatible with that of Ethereum as well as other blockchain platforms in the near future. TRON can currently handle 2,000 transactions per second. The project plans on decentralizing the web 100%.
There is also Zilliqa (ZIL) that was created specifically to solve the security vulnerabilities on the Ethereum platform using a new programming language called Scilla on its own mainnet. ZIL currently handles 2,828 transactions per second with only 6 shards. The mainnet that is yet to be launched aims at increasing the shards.
In conclusion, the Ethereum platform needs to evolve with the times and solve the two problems on its platform as outlined above. Such issues are the reason why institutional investors and individual investors are shorting the digital asset.
For the latest cryptocurrency news, join our Telegram!
Disclaimer: This article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide, investment advice. Global Coin Report and/or its affiliates, employees, writers, and subcontractors are cryptocurrency investors and from time to time may or may not have holdings in some of the coins or tokens they cover. Please conduct your own thorough research before investing in any cryptocurrency and read our full disclaimer.
Image courtesy of Naoki Nakashima via Flickr
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 25th January, 2021, // ChainWire //
Xeno Holdings Limited (xno.live ), a blockchain solutions company based in Hong Kong, has announced the listing of its ecosystem utility token XNO on the ‘Bithumb Korea’ cryptocurrency exchange on January 21st 2021.
Xeno NFT Hub (market.xno.live ), developed by Xeno Holdings, enables easy minting of digital items into NFTs while also providing a marketplace where anyone can securely trade NFTs.
The Xeno NFT Hub project team includes former members of the technology project Yosemite X based in San Francisco and professionals such as Gabby Dizon who is a games industry expert and NFT space influencer based in Southeast Asia.
NFT(Non-Fungible Token) technology has recently gained huge focus in the blockchain arena and beyond, making waves in the online gaming sector, the art world, and the digital copyrights industry in recent years. The strongest feature of NFTs is that “NFTs are unique digital assets that cannot be replaced or forged”. Unlike fungible tokens such as Bitcoin or Ether, NFTs are not interchangeable for other tokens of the same type but instead each NFT has a unique value and specific information that cannot be replaced. This fact makes NFTs the perfect solution to record and prove ownership of digital and real-world items like works of art, game items, limited-edition collectibles, and more. One of the ways to have a successful…
2020 has been an incredible year for crypto as investors have generated windfall profits and crypto projects have seen their businesses gain the spotlight they’ve been looking for. While Bitcoin has received most of the attention after major institutional investors announced they were accumulating the increasingly scarce asset, many altcoins have also seen their fair share of glory. When looking at all the big winners of the past year, the first project that probably comes to mind is Chainlink, having appreciated by more than 550% YTD and now valued at over $4.5 billion. But, the actual biggest winner of the year is HEX with a YTD return of over 5,000%.
I mention both of the above projects as they have each taken slightly different paths to achieve greatness. Chainlink has devoted resources toward building a fundamentally sound business with many strategic partnerships while HEX has spent vast sums of money on marketing and promotion. Both approaches are valid, but one thing is certain, it is absolutely imperative for crypto projects to let the crypto community know what makes them special. Of course, one of the reasons that makes crypto so valuable is the powerful blockchain technology that most projects are utilizing.
Cryptocurrency vs. Blockchain Technology
It’s important to make a distinction between blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. Although they are often used interchangeably, they are different. Blockchain technology and crypto were both created after the 2008 financial crisis, but cryptocurrency…
Altcoins
XENO starts VIP NFT trading service and collaborates with contemporary artist Hiro Yamagata
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 24th December, 2020, // ChainWire //
The XENO NFT Hub (https://xno.live) will provide a crypto-powered digital items and collectables trading platform allowing users to create, buy, and sell NFTs. Additionally it will support auction based listings, governance and voting mechanisms, trade history tracking, user rating and other advanced features.
As a first step towards its fully comprehensive service, XENO NFT Hub launched a recent VIP service to select users and early adopters in December 2020 with plans for a full Public Beta to open in June 2021.
“NFTs are extremely flexible in their usage, from digital event tickets to artwork, and while NFTs have a very wide spectrum of uses and categories XENO will initially focus its partnership efforts and its own item curation on three primary areas: gaming, sports & entertainment, and collectibles.”, said XENO NFT Hub president Anthony Di Franco.
He also added “This does not mean we will prohibit other types of NFTs from our ecosystem However, it simply means that XENO’s efforts as a company will be targeted into these verticals initially as a cohesive business approach.”
Development and Procurement Lead, Gabby Dizon explained, “Despite our initial focus, we found ourselves with a unique opportunity to host some of the works of Mr. Hiro Yamagata. We are collaborating with Japanese artist Hiro Yamagata to enshrine some of his artwork into NFTs.”
Mr. Yamagata has…
-
Blogs6 years agoBitcoin Cash (BCH) and Ripple (XRP) Headed to Expansion with Revolut
-
Blogs6 years agoAnother Bank Joins Ripple! The first ever bank in Oman to be a part of RippleNet
-
Blogs6 years agoStandard Chartered Plans on Extending the Use of Ripple (XRP) Network
-
Blogs6 years agoElectroneum (ETN) New Mining App Set For Mass Adoption
-
Don't Miss6 years agoRipple’s five new partnerships are mouthwatering
-
Blogs6 years agoCryptocurrency is paving new avenues for content creators to explore
-
Blogs6 years agoEthereum Classic (ETC) Is Aiming To Align With Ethereum (ETH)
-
Blogs6 years agoLitecoin (LTC) Becomes Compatible with Blocknet while Getting Listed on Gemini Exchange
