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Platform Binance move more than 1.6 million of its currency “BNB”

The platform Binance, the largest platform for trading digital currency in the world in terms of trading volume, the process of the war of the fifth scheduled currency BNB. However, it has been the negative reaction to the master of the situation even now, despite a decline in the supply of currency BNB. Platform Binance move 1,643,986 of their currencies In the official statement dated 17 October, it announced the platform between the degree they successfully completed the process of burning its own currency policy, as stated in the White Paper. Thus, the destruction of the 1, 643, and 986 million of the Binance, which is equivalent to $ 17 million. Have hauled this to the attention of Twitter user BambouClub, a local trader for the Digital, have noted in a tweet that the volume of currency trading Binance has been reduced. As has been pointed out that the fee for trading on the platform has increased by 50% because of the discount on the currency has fallen from 50% to 25%.

Low price, BNB

Continue yesterday's work of the fifth movement of the work platform Binance BNB which led to a substantial decline in the value of the currency. During the past 24 hours, the price of the currency to 9.92271 dollars, it's lost nearly 2% of its value according to the website CoinMarketCap. It also has the opposite this shift in the price of the currency Binance what happened in the month of April when the burning process and the work of the platform, which also led to the decline in its value, as happened today. It should be noted that, according to the White Paper, will be the destruction of 100 million of the BNB, the history of the 100 billion coin overlapping the other. Suddenly, in the White Paper:

“In every quarter of the year, we will use 20% of our profits to buy coins BNB users and spin it. This Will course to to buy 50% of the total number of Rolling of the work. It will be announced to all repurchase transactions on the blockchain. In the end we will destroy half of these currencies”

It has destroyed the process of the war of the fifth least amount of work compared to the operations of the war the previous three. It is, in theory, the digital currency that will Binance bought back from the users and destroy them, so it must be more than the value of the work remaining for the long term. However, I witnessed the last three months decreased by 20% keeping the work of the BNB.

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What Are Blockchain Confirmations and Why Do They Matter?

All public blockchains make use of blockchain confirmations. These are important since they can help you understand how confident you can be when making a transaction. When any transaction is first broadcast to the blockchain it starts with zero confirmations. This number then increases as the information is added to the first block, confirmed, given a permanent place, and followed by more blocks.

Blockchain confirmations are vital since they are a way of verifying and legitimizing information that will then become immutable. If a transaction is deemed fraudulent, it will be rejected from the blockchain: zero blockchain confirmations means zero transactions.

On average, cryptocurrency exchanges require a minimum of three confirmations until a transaction is accepted. Coinbase, for example, does not consider a Bitcoin transaction as final until it has received at least three confirmations.

However, the larger the transaction, the more blockchain confirmations are required. This is because the more confirmations there are, the harder the transaction is to reverse. For a transaction of $1 million, it’s not uncommon to wait for at least 60 confirmations. The amount of blockchain confirmations required to verify a transaction varies by blockchain. Let’s take a look at Bitcoin and Ethereum here.

Bitcoin Confirmations

You probably already know that Bitcoin’s blockchain creates a new block about every 10 minutes through the mining process. This block then verifies and records new transactions and appends them to the Bitcoin blockchain. This means that a transaction is unconfirmed until the new block is generated. Therefore, if you’re sending or receiving Bitcoin, it’s essential to wait until you see that the transaction has been confirmed.

One confirmation usually takes up to 10 minutes. But, since one confirmation is not enough to be confident about the validity of the transaction, users have to wait for each new block to be created and verify the information. Depending on the amount being sent, this may take anywhere between 30 to 600 minutes. Ten hours is a long time to wait for a transaction confirmation!

Some Bitcoin services are instant and require only the first confirmation, however, the majority ask for more, with some companies requiring at least six Bitcoin blockchain confirmations before accepting the transaction.

What Is the Bitcoin Mempool?

The Bitcoin mempool is the sea of unconfirmed Bitcoin transactions on the Bitcoin network. As explained above, once a transaction is uploaded to the blockchain, it is not confirmed immediately but is released into the mempool of transactions, which are considered in-motion.

All nodes on the Bitcoin network are connected to the mempool, and that includes the miners who collate transactions from the mempool into a block. The miner who first solves the mathematical equation and adds the block to the blockchain is the first to confirm the block. Therefore, the first to receive the miner reward of 12.5 BTC.

This is fairly straightforward, however, some transactions are picked out of the mempool faster than others. Why? Because miners also earn a bonus percentage of transaction fees (called the Bitcoin mining fee).

Miners will pick out the transactions with the higher fees first to earn a higher bonus. It also explains why not paying transaction fees can lead to your transaction getting stuck. In fact, as more people join the Bitcoin network, this bottleneck is one of the greatest challenges to the Bitcoin community.

How to Speed Up Blockchain Confirmation Times

The higher the fee you pay, the more likely your transaction will be confirmed in a timely manner (there is a 60 percent chance that it will take 10 minutes or less). However, if your transaction remains unconfirmed, the recommended wait time is 72 hours before sending it again.

If you want to avoid paying fees, however, you can check to see how many unconfirmed transactions there are at a given moment and calculate how long it will take.

Ethereum Blockchain Confirmations

When it comes to Ethereum blockchain confirmations, the agreed-upon number seems to be undecided. According to the Ethereum white paper, 7 confirmations should be enough to confirm the transaction (about 2 minutes).

However, Ethereum miners must check the parameters of the last 250 blocks. So, if you want to err on the side of caution like the miners, you should wait for 250 confirmations. This sounds like a lot, but in practice is only about an hour.

Coinbase requires 50 ethereum confirmations before considering a transaction complete. It should also be noted that the Ethereum blockchain faces significant scalability issues as well. Ethereum is working to scale quickly to take on more users, and through Proof of Stake, confirmations should be even quicker.

Etherscan and Ether Gas

Ethereum doesn’t have a mempool for pending transactions; it’s simply called the transaction pool. The pool contains all the transactions submitted that haven’t yet been assigned to a block.

There are multiple methods for speeding up your transaction and deciding on the best gas price when sending your Ethereum transaction. You can try ETH Gas Station to see an overview of gas usage, and you can see how many transactions are pending by using Etherscan.

Etherscan is particularly popular since you can order transactions by gas price (simply click on the GasPrice column). You’ll then see more or less the same list that miners see and, if you select a gas price that is within the first couple of pages, you should enjoy short confirmation times.

This Article was Originally Published On: www.coincentral.com

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Argentina, Venezuela, Egypt, recorded a significant rise in the trading volumes of bitcoin

Recorded from Argentina, Venezuela, Egypt, during the month of October 2018, the sizes of the great trading platform LocalBitcoins. While other places such as Croatia and Switzerland, achieved the lowest trading levels since the beginning of the year 2018.

Bitcoin the currency of success in Argentina

With the continued economic crisis in Argentina, it may be not surprising to see people flock to deal with digital currencies like bitcoin as a haven for their wealth. From April 2018, the work of the Argentinean peso to a substantial decline against the dollar, which led to a weakening of the purchasing power of the population. In response, it became Bitcoin offer more applicable in the State Bank, and the issuance of laws more to facilitate the setting of more ATMs bitcoin in the country.

In spite of the efforts made by the government, it seems that the economy of the country mired in a state of deterioration. Where the government recently reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for additional financial support. In October, came the adoption of bitcoin in Argentina to new highs recorded nearly $ 9 million trading volume of bitcoin to LocalBitcoins.

Bitcoin is an urgent need in Venezuela

Every day, hits the trading volume of bitcoin a new level in Venezuela. This is because of the turmoil faced by the country, which imposed on people the need to embrace bitcoin. Where the data show “Coin Dance” that, despite the low price of Bitcoin, however, Venezuelans are increasingly involved in the best forex trading digital currency. As of now, the total trading volume on the London Stock Exchange business in October 2018 and almost $ 900 billion bolivars (approximately $ 14.4 million).

And popular trading bitcoin in Venezuela in the government's attempts to publish the work of its digital issued by the state. But reports indicate the presence of a few of the indications of the work of Petro in the country. More recently, the government imposed payments of passports using this digital currency.

Unlike the previous two sessions, which have trading volume of the composition of the record, Egypt is in the midst of any economic downturn. But it seems that the country benefit from the economic reforms that started in the year 2016. As the designers they trained more than a million pounds of bitcoin.

Trading bitcoin in the rest of the world 

In the rest of the world, trading bitcoin in the increase in all parts of South and Central America. Shows all from Chile, Colombia, Mexico and trading volumes above are also expected by October 2018.

In Europe, volumes decreased significantly since the peak in the first quarter of 2018. He scored all of Croatia and Switzerland the lowest levels in October 2018.

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"Vitalik Buterin" reveals the balance of Ethereum on Twitter

Revealed co-founder of the Ethereum "Vitalik Buterin", the amount of the dictates of the currency of Ethereum. In a discussion with an economist at New York University, Nouriel Roubini, co-Buterin wallet address Ethereum. This has been charged Roubini both Vitalik and his partner in the founding of Ethereum, Joseph Lubin, and stealing 75% of Ethereum to become the owners of the million instant results for wealth, false. According to Roubini, it was Vitalik  Lobby the leaders of the sales operations needs of the pre-mining Ethereum. Eat as Vitalik these allegations on Twitter refuted by saying that he personally didn't ever have more than 0,9% of Ethereum, and net worth of not approaching a million to one. He added that he is quite sure that there are no criminal laws against the mining advance.

Then he Vitalik watching his address in the wallet Ethereum, revealing its holdings of the currency of Ethereum. So that his wallet containing 365,003 of Ethereum, which is worth currently about $ 73 million at the time of writing this report. And my wallet also on 32,000 of OmiseGo, worth $ 100,000 currently. As revealed owning many of the currencies of other primary-based protocol, ERC 20, totaling about $ 1500.

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Mining bitcoin has become less profitable to the retailers and in the interests of large mining companies

New research from the company Diar that the proceeds of the mining bitcoin for the first six months of 2018 has already exceeded the results in 2017, but for the first time has become the process of mining unprofitable for most miners compared to the price of electricity. And research company Diar to electricity prices, coupled with the high participation of large companies in mining, had paid the mining operations small to the outside market. According to the report, the rewards and fees to see Bitcoin reach 4.7 billion USD in the first three quarters of 2018, more than $ 1.4 million compared to a profit in 2017. And still teachers earn 54000 configures a month.

But for mining operations is small, the increasing cost of electricity to support the governance mechanisms evolving increasingly in the mining shift, the mining bitcoin to invest a loser. This is a big change to tackle bitcoin, which makes it impossible for the miners to get profit from these operations under normal circumstances. In order to maintain the dominance of bitcoin on the network, the company must maintain profitable mining for retailers, and through improvement in the strength of retail in all times and operations between the bimetallic Chinese metal the United States to ensure profitability.

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The price of bitcoin is reduced by $ 400 in 30 minutes with a return of the fluctuations in the prices

Decreased the price of bitcoin, the largest digital currency in the world by market capitalization, increased by 4.77% on Thursday, pushing the price to less than 6400 dollars for the first time since weeks. At 00:58 UTC, after the market close on Wednesday, fell a bitcoin amount of $ 400 within 30 minutes, resulting in a decline of less than 6400 dollars.

At the present time, it has bitcoin its momentum after being stopped briefly about 6,125$, the lowest number since 19 September, prior to exceed 6200 dollars. It was Oscillation as the end to the stable that was stable since that date. As you know, the top 10 currencies of the market value to decline also. Where decreased between 4 to 13% on the background of the operations and selling bitcoin. But suffered XRP More than others, where it decreased by 12.34%, while lower bitcoin cash and Ethereum by of 10-11%. Also dropped a total market capitalization of the market sharply, as fell the total value of $ 13.1 million during a period of two and a half hours.

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Platform Bitfinex announces the operations of depositing in cash through a low bitcoin

Might be platform Bitfinex giant trading the digital currency has played a role in the decline in the price of bitcoin last night, where the Chinese, which is taken from the British Virgin Islands-based pause for deposit transactions in Euros, US dollar, Japanese yen, and pound sterling. Despite the fact, that the active comic of customer accounts that are traded on social media indicate that the situation should be back to normal within a week.

The reports emerged last week stating that the platform Bitfinex, to which he was long suspected as retain their funds in the Bank of Noble in Puerto Rico, have found a partner bank is always in HSBC. It was a platform Bitfinex in fact retain a place in the home through a special account through Global Trading Solutions. And therefore likely not to be the HSBC Bank on the note that contains the assets of Bitfinex, and that – after the press coverage of the important – the suspension or closure of this account. Has faced the currency market the digital operations of big selling on Thursday, which raised questions about whether there is a link between the decline and concerns about the operations of Bitfinex is unclear.

In the meantime, you are trading the price of bitcoin at a higher price on Bitfinex, and this probably indicates that traders are not comfortable to completely needs their money on the region during this period of uncertainty, which also raises questions about the stability of cash withdrawals in cash. The price of bitcoin is currently 6, the 303 on the platform Bitfinex, compared at 6, 199 in platform Gemini, 6, 194 on the platform Bitstamp, and 6, 192 on BitMEX, which works out to a premium of up to 2% approximately. Where the platform Bitfinex, has published a blog earlier this week, denying the allegations which, although many critics are still not convinced, especially for to mark the document with the work (USDT) controversial.

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Launched the first trading platform of digital supported by the central bank in the Middle East in 2019

Can Company a blockchain Maven two to launch what could be the first platform for trading currencies digital in the Arabian Gulf holds an official license from the central bank. Where a company disclosed the Rain, exclusively to CoinDesk, on the list of Awaited year after year in the control environment, the digital division of the Central Bank of Bahrain. Co-founded by Abdullah Al-muaiqly of the company blockchain Saudi Investors Bank as a platform for transmitting Badawi. Company aims at Rain to provide all of the brokerage investors in the retail and institutional-style platform Coinbase Pro in Silicon Valley.

The first platform for the trading of digital currencies in the Middle East

Despite the participation of five other markets at least in the experimental environment of Bahrain – a regulatory program where they developed their experience in the environment under the careful supervision before they graduate to companies fully licensed – the company was Rain the first to join in September 2017, and is expected to launch in early 2019. Khaled Saad, CEO of financial technology, Bahrain Bay, which is a work of non-profit work for a local startup :

“What distinguishes the company, Rain is it is the most advanced and closest to the stars. There is no platform trading currencies digital in the region are subject to regulation. We hope to be the Rain is the first of its kind”

Could encourage such a move to new capital inflows to the ecosystem for the Digital part of the world rich in natural resources such as oil and gas. As is the case, the few inhabitants of the Gulf are officially involved in the markets of digital currency, so for fear of the reputation of the sector and mysterious, despite the fact that Dubai was a pioneer in the application of “smart city” technology, the blockchain. Said the Badawi, one of the founders of Rain that investors are inquisitive waiting to put the regulations right and the right partners. And they are here to fill that demand with appropriate infrastructure of enterprise-class. Has led to the potential of this untapped market to a large extent, to have the veterans such as the founder of the mining company, Cumberland, Mike company, the developers of the network of Bitcoin Core, Jimmy Sung, and the wallet, Breadwallet, to invest in an emerging company based in Bahrain. Moreover, it took the company Joseph new, a graduate company of the governor of digital currencies emerging “Abra“, to be executive chairman. 

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The high volume of trading bitcoin by almost 30% with the price broke the level of 6,550 USD

Experienced bitcoin the dominant currency in the market of digital currency, a sudden increase in its size from $ 2 million to $ 2.53 million on the site of the CoinCap.io. With regard to Coinmarketcap, the volume of trading of bitcoin from $ 3.2 million to $ 3.8. The diversity between the sizes of the trading in the bitcoin included in the CoinCap.io and Coinmarketcap, to a system CoinCap.io which does not take the sizes of the daily trading of the stock exchange has the suspect inflate the numbers.

Trading volume is the biggest problem

Over the past seven days, the form of the trading volume of bitcoin is a serious problem for the rest of the market. Although bitcoin began to achieve some great gains in the 8 October, but the lack of momentum in bitcoin to prevent the market from starting to achieve significant gains in the upward direction. For most of the month of October, was the bitcoin moving to the downside with a weak support level at $ 6500, and had the general appearance of Mr. John down the activity of the market. According to Edward Murray, a technical analyst in the digital currency, bitcoin has recorded the lowest volume of trading in 2018. The unexpected decrease in the trading volume of bitcoin one of two things. Either showing oversold in the market or simply not trading because of the uncertainty that surrounds the market. It is possible that there will be a combination of these two factors which have an impact on the direction of short-term price Bitcoin, leading to maintain the stability of the standard at a level of  6,500 $. One of the positive elements in the direction of the price of bitcoin throughout the thirty days past in that the digital asset has achieved five successive bottoms, which generally refers to the movement of the price positive in the short term.

If the trading volume of bitcoin in recovery and out of the barrier of 3 million, it is likely that this will lead to entry in the movement of the price of the strong short-term, perhaps reaching $ 7000.

Breaking the level of $ 7,000 is a big challenge.

Since 9 of August, and continued the bitcoin level in the range of 6400 to $ 6700 USD broke the resistance level of $ 7000 once in the middle of the month of September. As such, it will be difficult for to give digital currency the dominant treatment of the $ 7000 and keep the momentum in the price range higher. If possible, perhaps through the strong recovery in market activity and trading volume, many of the digital currencies will benefit positively from the price movement of the strong bitcoin.

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The launch of the application of payments based on the XRP “MoneyTap” in Japan

Started a consortium of 61 banks JPY and is responsible for more than 80% of the banking assets of the Japanese, using the application for processing retail payments and focuses on the consumer using the blockchain XRP. In a tweet an official from the company repo download on Thursday, confirmed a financial technology company, which is taken from the San Francisco-based, and that the application has started work on Thursday, after nearly seven months of its initial declaration earlier this year. As I mentioned CCN at the time, the app is a collaboration SBI Ripple Asia, a consortium Bank, which was launched in November of the year 2016, efforts focused on the utilization of Technology uncertainty for local bank transfers in Japan. Will allow the application of smart phones, which will be called “MoneyTap”, in remittances domestic money directly between bank accounts using xCurrent, network, blockchain XRP. Can do the payment by using QR code simple (QR code) or the recipient's phone number through the app available on Android and iOS. The application support “MoneyTap” by three selected banks are : Suruga Bank and SBI Net Sumishin Bank and Resona Bank, make transfers without the cost in between them. In the scenario of the request to return the funds, participants will be asked to pay a small fee. The application has been designed “MoneyTap” to be transfer services daily fast between lenders. Will transfer an amount up to 30,000 yen (about $ 262) per transaction ceiling of 100,000 yen (approximately $ 875 USD) per day. Although the app launch is the first implementation of significant technology blockchain business on the scope of the consumer in Japan, however the XRP technique it is used also in the Bank of Spanish giant Banco Santander's One Pay FX.

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Platform Poloniex cancel the margin trading and lending to users in the United States

In the aftermath of the Campaign Committee (SEC) on the Office of the brokers in the recent times, the platform Poloniex remove the possibility for users in the USA trading margin as well as take advantage of the lending service in trading on the platform. It was stated that the trading platform of digital currencies, which are US-based, you will also remove three of the digital assets listed therein. As seen Poloniex, which was at one time the most popular trading platform at all, the decline of its popularity after the poor customer service during the period of high prices in 2017, while deliberately trading platforms, such as: Bittrex and Binance to provide a better customer experience at the time. At that time, the company bought the “Circle” payments platform Poloniex for $ 400 million. Also announced the platform Poloniex that by the end of this year will be the removal of trading services margin services and lending to customers the United States in order to comply with regulatory requirements in each jurisdiction. While this sudden announcement of the House does not cause to take this step or what are the regulatory bodies that are trying to comply with it, except that recent accusations addressed to the Office of the psychics might be a good reason to declare Poloniex. The product announcement also remove the three coins Digital also, is the : AMP and EXP  and GNO on 10 October. Therefore, the request of customers this product to cancel any orders to open trading and withdrawal of funds as soon as possible. The platform Poloniex is currently out of order trading platform digital currencies the top 20 in the world based on trading volume.

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Vending machine Coca-Cola is working on the Lightning and address payments to bitcoin

We all dream of the day where we can buy soft drinks or the like through the network of Lightning. It would be nice to replace some of the case with a bottle of cold Coke refreshing. And enable the creative mind, Ricardo Reis, one of the Pirates of the internet from Spain, to achieve it ! Where established the Reese machine selling Coca-Cola hand-made work on the Lightning to provide users with a cup of this beverage compared to bitcoin. It is through scanning the QR code (QR) built-in, use the machine payments been, and all that in just a few seconds. But we know that this process will be much faster if it was on the Ethereum network or on the blockchain alternative.

While it is clear that this is a guide on how to integrate network Lightning easily in the thousands of different services, but they serve as further clarification of the seriousness of the nature of open-source networks, the blockchain. And, of course, you can't use command code this without having to create machine-made customized, so need to get some expertise. Despite that, the existence of the technology of the blockchain makes products like this possible. It seems that this prototype is probably not ready to trade, although it shows some of the capabilities of the network, lightning is brilliant.

Are you going to buy the Coca-Cola Company this design?

Mostly I don't. Where it will be easy for them to integrate payments to bitcoin in vending machines existing. And if they are thinking about entering this field, you they have done so already. Unfortunately, the vending machine this is just a proof of concept, and of course no sign of this product by Coca-Cola.

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Why Major U.S. Financial Companies Avoid the Crypto Market

Major U.S. companies have been avoiding the crypto market for a long time. And now, according to Mike Novogratz, a prominent investor and former hedge fund manager at Fortress Investment Group, there is a major reason for this.

The founder of Galaxy Digital, a cryptocurrency merchant bank, he recently talked about the issue at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit and asserted that bitcoin is soon going to experience ‘a renaissance’ and will ultimately be propped up by institutional investors. According to the analyst, many of the big U.S. companies currently have substantial amounts of money ready for investment and some have already shown significant interest in the cryptocurrency market, which is a good indicator of things to come.

The former Goldman Sachs partner predicted that the market will start to have major institutional entrants within the next two to three months and interest in the sector will be mainly driven by the fear of missing out. He also talked about why major U.S. financial companies have up to now kept away from the digital currency sector, saying that the lack of reliable custodial solutions is a major reason for this.

Mike also explained that major U.S. companies are usually uncomfortable working with small nascent firms offering these services as is characteristic of the budding industry, saying, “If you’re at the state of Wisconsin and you’re a salaryman working on the investment portfolio, you might not risk your job for a company named Xapo.”

He predicted that the most likely outcome of the present situation will be major Wall Street players starting to acquire smaller specialist companies in the cryptocurrency space that provide custodial services. The financial analyst believes that major institutional players are the key to the success of the industry.

The Mt. Gox Nightmare

The Mt Gox heist is still a major case study of what can happen when things go wrong while handling crypto, and no major U.S. financial company is prepared to handle such a scenario. Over 700,000 bitcoins valued at more than $4 billion at today’s market rate were stolen from the exchange which was based in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan in 2014.

Hackers apparently hacked into an auditor’s computer and artificially manipulated bitcoin’s value on the exchange to one cent. They then fraudulently ‘bought’ the coins from customers and made away with the loot. The few remaining bitcoin were moved to cold storage by the company.

The biggest exchange on the planet at the time, the development created panic across the bitcoin world, and a wave of lawsuits soon rendered Mt. Gox bankrupt. At the time of liquidation, the company only had $91 million in assets which were liquidated and distributed to claimants.

Fast forward to current times and cryptocurrency exchanges all over the world still face major hacking problems. The reality of the situation is that $731 million worth of cryptocurrencies has been stolen from companies and exchanges in 2018.

However, the crypto industry still holds major appeal and huge investment firms such as Goldman Sachs have shown interest in the cryptocurrency sector. But they have also highlighted the complexities of offering cryptocurrency custodial services as being a major stumbling block.

Earlier this month, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Martin Chavez, refuted claims that the multinational investment bank was planning on launching a crypto trading desk, dismissing the reports as fake news.

He talked about the impact of custodial services on the company’s crypto ventures, saying, “Physical bitcoin is something tremendously interesting, and tremendously challenging. From the perspective of custody, we don’t yet see an institutional-grade custodial solution for bitcoin, we’re interested in having that exist and it’s a long road.”

A Few Brave Companies Offering Crypto Custodial Services

In July, Coinbase officially launched its cryptocurrency custodial product, Coinbase Custody. The service is targeted at financial institutions and apparently offers a combination of cold storage and broker-dealer features. It also has multiple layers of security, including offline private keys.

Other companies such as itBit, Gemini and BitGo have also recently started to offer crypto custodial services.

This Article was Originally Published On: www.coincentral.com

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TOP 5 BLOCKCHAIN STOCKS

Stock investment has always been a fantastic way for many people to make a passive income. Approximately33% of households in the United States own taxable investment accounts. While the traditional stock market is immensely profitable, a new way to invest has emerged.

The emergence of cryptocurrency has brought about a new, rapidly-developing form of investment. Bitcoin is fast becoming a household name, due to its status as the biggest cryptocurrency by market share and the fact that although there are currently over 1000 cryptocurrencies, it was the first to emerge. Since 2009, the buzz around digital currencies has continued to grow and reached an all-time high in 2017, when Bitcoin hit its peak price of $20,000.

Many people who were early investors in the asset became instant millionaires, and this attracted even more new investors looking for a piece of the cake. But despite its image, the cryptocurrency industry is not all glitz, glam, and Lamborghinis. As much as huge profits can be made, huge losses also plague the industry. The high market volatility, theft, and scams that have come to define the industry, make it a living hell for several investors.

However, what the industry lacks in regulation and stability, it more than makes up for in profit margins. In 2017, Ethereum saw a 10,000% jump in price between January and December, while Bitcoin saw a price increase of 1,500% within the same period. Compared to the best performing traditional stock in that same year, which recorded a 142% increase, the gap in margins is wide.

Unfortunately, while the past performance of these cryptocurrencies is exciting, 2018 has been filled with negative events in the industry that have hindered its performance. From the hacks of notable exchanges like Coinrail and Bithumb to the SEC ICO investigation and rejection of a Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund by the Winklevoss brothers, it has been a sad year for cryptocurrencies. Several prominent executives including Jack Ma and George Soros have also gone on record to call Bitcoin a fraud and bubble. This has led many others to admonish the asset while simultaneously praising blockchain, the technology behind it.

In anticipation of a bubble burst in the industry, people are now looking for more stable ways to invest. One of the best available options is to invest in companies that use blockchain technology for reasonable applications. Amidst the frenzy, this guarantees long-term returns and some stability since the stock performance is driven by more than just speculation.

Not only can blockchain technology support the functions of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, and Ripple, it has the potential to revolutionize marketplaces, and the way data is stored and transferred around the globe. Applied properly, and in innovative ways, blockchain may significantly change the future of money, finance and more. It may survive and thrive long after cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin cease to exist. Many different industries are looking into blockchain research and development in search of ways for better fraud prevention security, faster transmission confirmation, and potential cost savings.

According to a recent prediction, blockchain platforms will store 10% of global GDP within the next ten years. This is why it is critical to invest in the corporations with great use cases for it or large corporations that have partnered with blockchain platforms to offer one form of enterprise-facing technology or another. Identifying the companies with the most potential to generate revenue streams with the use of the technology will help investors minimize loss. Many companies employ this technology but based on application, performance, and partnerships, these are the top 5 blockchain stocks to watch:

1. NASDAQ

Nasdaq is one of the leading providers of securities trading, clearing, exchange technology, and listing services. With operations spanning across six continents and an impressive portfolio, the firm aids customers with the planning, execution, and improvement of their businesses. Using advanced financial technology solutions, Nasdaq provides these customers with the necessary insights, analytics and relevant metrics for them to successfully navigate global capital markets.

The New York-based firm currently acts as the powerhouse of over 70 marketplaces spanning across 50 countries and servicing more than 10,000 corporate clients. It also houses the world's first electronic stock market which executes 10% of all global securities transactions. The Nasdaq platform currently lists over 3,600 companies with a combined market value of about $8.8 trillion.

Nasdaq operates at the intersection point between the finance and technology industries by helping investors with the navigation of the securities market. Known in every investment circle, Nasdaq has become an industry leader in the development of innovative securities methodologies. Apart from being the second largest stock exchange in the world, second only to the New York Stock Exchange, the firm has made waves recently for its use of blockchain technology.

Stock investment has always been a fantastic way for many people to make a passive income. Approximately33% of households in the United States own taxable investment accounts. While the traditional stock market is immensely profitable, a new way to invest has emerged.

The emergence of cryptocurrency has brought about a new, rapidly-developing form of investment. Bitcoin is fast becoming a household name, due to its status as the biggest cryptocurrency by market share and the fact that although there are currently over 1000 cryptocurrencies, it was the first to emerge. Since 2009, the buzz around digital currencies has continued to grow and reached an all-time high in 2017, when Bitcoin hit its peak price of $20,000.

Many people who were early investors in the asset became instant millionaires, and this attracted even more new investors looking for a piece of the cake. But despite its image, the cryptocurrency industry is not all glitz, glam, and Lamborghinis. As much as huge profits can be made, huge losses also plague the industry. The high market volatility, theft, and scams that have come to define the industry, make it a living hell for several investors.

However, what the industry lacks in regulation and stability, it more than makes up for in profit margins. In 2017, Ethereum saw a 10,000% jump in price between January and December, while Bitcoin saw a price increase of 1,500% within the same period. Compared to the best performing traditional stock in that same year, which recorded a 142% increase, the gap in margins is wide.

Unfortunately, while the past performance of these cryptocurrencies is exciting, 2018 has been filled with negative events in the industry that have hindered its performance. From the hacks of notable exchanges like Coinrail and Bithumb to the SEC ICO investigation and rejection of a Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund by the Winklevoss brothers, it has been a sad year for cryptocurrencies. Several prominent executives including Jack Ma and George Soros have also gone on record to call Bitcoin a fraud and bubble. This has led many others to admonish the asset while simultaneously praising blockchain, the technology behind it.

In anticipation of a bubble burst in the industry, people are now looking for more stable ways to invest. One of the best available options is to invest in companies that use blockchain technology for reasonable applications. Amidst the frenzy, this guarantees long-term returns and some stability since the stock performance is driven by more than just speculation.

Not only can blockchain technology support the functions of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, and Ripple, it has the potential to revolutionize marketplaces, and the way data is stored and transferred around the globe. Applied properly, and in innovative ways, blockchain may significantly change the future of money, finance and more. It may survive and thrive long after cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin cease to exist. Many different industries are looking into blockchain research and development in search of ways for better fraud prevention security, faster transmission confirmation, and potential cost savings.

According to a recent prediction, blockchain platforms will store 10% of global GDP within the next ten years. This is why it is critical to invest in the corporations with great use cases for it or large corporations that have partnered with blockchain platforms to offer one form of enterprise-facing technology or another. Identifying the companies with the most potential to generate revenue streams with the use of the technology will help investors minimize loss. Many companies employ this technology but based on application, performance, and partnerships, these are the top 5 blockchain stocks to watch:

1. NASDAQ

Nasdaq is one of the leading providers of securities trading, clearing, exchange technology, and listing services. With operations spanning across six continents and an impressive portfolio, the firm aids customers with the planning, execution, and improvement of their businesses. Using advanced financial technology solutions, Nasdaq provides these customers with the necessary insights, analytics and relevant metrics for them to successfully navigate global capital markets.

The New York-based firm currently acts as the powerhouse of over 70 marketplaces spanning across 50 countries and servicing more than 10,000 corporate clients. It also houses the world's first electronic stock market which executes 10% of all global securities transactions. The Nasdaq platform currently lists over 3,600 companies with a combined market value of about $8.8 trillion.

Nasdaq operates at the intersection point between the finance and technology industries by helping investors with the navigation of the securities market. Known in every investment circle, Nasdaq has become an industry leader in the development of innovative securities methodologies. Apart from being the second largest stock exchange in the world, second only to the New York Stock Exchange, the firm has made waves recently for its use of blockchain technology.

NASDAQ BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Although the stock market and cryptocurrency market are similar in many ways, they are still far apart regarding regulations and volatility. This hasn’t stopped Nasdaq from exploring and incorporating the use of the technology in its basic applications and operations. The company was one of the first to adopt and implement blockchain technology and is currently on the forefront of blockchain’s transformative potential. With their customers in mind, Nasdaq is gradually transforming the global capital markets through significant acquisitions.

NASDAQ LINQ

In December 2015, the company announced that Chain.com, a blockchain firm and inaugural Nasdaq Linq client was able to use the Nasdaq Linq blockchain for the successful completion of a private securities transaction. The ledger also recorded the transaction accurately, marking the first blockchain application of its kind.

In the transaction, the issuer (Chain.com) was able to successfully document a record of ownership digitally on the Nasdaq Linq platform. This significantly reduced the time taken to carry out traditional clearing and settling, while eliminating the need for issuance of paper stock certificates. Apart from equity management, Nasdaq Linq provides issuers and investors the opportunity to complete and execute subscription documents online.

Chain.com is one of the most prominent providers of blockchain infrastructure and support to enterprises, especially financial institutions. The firm provides businesses with a platform for the secure issuance and management of digital assets using blockchain technology. They service customers in various markets, including banking, payments, telecommunications, capital markets, and energy markets.  Based in San Francisco, CA, Chains.com has received funding from top venture firms and investors like Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, RRE Ventures, Visa, Citi, Nasdaq, Capital One, Fiserv and Orange.

According to former Nasdaq CEO, Bob Greifield, the company believes that the success of the transaction is a huge milestone in the advancement of the global financial sector and blockchain as a whole. He stated that this initial application of blockchain technology serves as the beginning of a process that could disrupt the core infrastructure of capital market systems. It could also proffer positive outcomes for outdated settlement and administrative functions.

Adam Ludwin, the CEO of Chain.com also expressed positive sentiments over the partnership with Nasdaq, stating that the transaction met all objectives seamlessly, drastically reducing manual ownership transfer time in the process. Blockchain technology can potentially expedite clearing and settlement from the current time standard of three days to as little as ten or fifteen minutes. This way, exposure to risk can be reduced by more than 99%, lowering systemic risks and capital costs in the process.

BLOCKCHAIN FOR MUTUAL FUNDS

Nasdaq has also made plans to roll out its blockchain-for-mutual-funds solution in Nordic countries. The solution is designed to ease the brokerage issues generally associated with mutual funds. Normally, these transactions are carried out through a third party brokerage or the fund company directly. When the transaction involves buying a foreign mutual fund, things become even more complicated for the investor. To ensure that the transaction is verified, there has to be communication between all parties involved and the presence of intermediaries complicates the process.

As a result of the old methods used to verify transactions and track fund ownership, the process is inefficient. There are often errors, especially due to the country-specific record requirements. This often causes involved parties to start over, leading to a waste of time and resources. However, with blockchain technology, Nasdaq is working to solve these issues by eliminating most third-party involvement.

Due to the distributed nature of a blockchain, depending on Nasdaq’s specifications, country-specific requirements may be overruled. Overall, the application of this ledger technology will result in a more efficient process for issuers and investors. The platform has already been deployed among the Swedish mutual fund families and will be deployed to all Nordic countries soon.

CITIGROUP PARTNERSHIP

In 2017, Nasdaq announced a collaboration with CitiGroup which involved integrating the latter firm’s business payment service with the Nasdaq blockchain platform. Citi's bank transfer system handles transactions associated with commerce including payroll, dividend, and interest. The union of both platforms gave rise to the first enterprise blockchain transactions using the CitiConnect tool. On the joint platform, Nasdaq Linq automatically reconciles Citi payment transactions in real-time.

Nasdaq’s latest blockchain venture came in June 2018, when the firm announced the successful testing of its blockchain-based Proof-of-Concept (PoC) protocol. The Proof-of-Concept was created in a collaborative effort with ABN AMRO Clearing, Euroclear and EuroCCP. It will provide efficient round-the-clock securities collateral solutions for issues associated with making margin calls after trading hours are over. This will eliminate potential losses and make the process easier.

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN NASDAQ?

Nasdaq's adoption of blockchain technology holds promise for the future of finance. Each partnership brings a different and more creative approach to so many problems faced by stock exchanges and investors. Even if cryptocurrencies cease to exist one day, Nasdaq will probably still be around, transforming the investment landscape as it has done since 1971.

2. IBM

Despite the popularity of International Business Machines (IBM) and the long string of blockchain partnerships the firm has accumulated, it is still considered old tech in the world of investment. This misconception stems partly from the fact that in the last five years, the company has only posted one-quarter of revenue growth. In that same amount of time, IBM has lost 20% of its value even though tech shares have more than doubled in price generally.

Despite its poorly performing stock, IBM is an excellent investment in one significant aspect: blockchain technology. The tech giant has managed to establish dominance in the cryptocurrency industry through a series of bold moves, centered around enterprise payment solutions. At this rate, IBM stock could see a major change in coming years.

Just like traditional financial institutions, Wall Street has not shown much acceptance towards cryptocurrency. This is mostly due to the lack of regulation that protects investors’ funds. It is also due to the theft and general insecurity in the industry. As a result, to some extent, IBM’s blockchain developments have not been fully recognized. While the idea of immutable digital public ledgers looks good on paper, the reality poses several complications. It also brings change, which the financial industry may not be ready for.

Stock investment has always been a fantastic way for many people to make a passive income. Approximately33% of households in the United States own taxable investment accounts. While the traditional stock market is immensely profitable, a new way to invest has emerged.

The emergence of cryptocurrency has brought about a new, rapidly-developing form of investment. Bitcoin is fast becoming a household name, due to its status as the biggest cryptocurrency by market share and the fact that although there are currently over 1000 cryptocurrencies, it was the first to emerge. Since 2009, the buzz around digital currencies has continued to grow and reached an all-time high in 2017, when Bitcoin hit its peak price of $20,000.

Many people who were early investors in the asset became instant millionaires, and this attracted even more new investors looking for a piece of the cake. But despite its image, the cryptocurrency industry is not all glitz, glam, and Lamborghinis. As much as huge profits can be made, huge losses also plague the industry. The high market volatility, theft, and scams that have come to define the industry, make it a living hell for several investors.

However, what the industry lacks in regulation and stability, it more than makes up for in profit margins. In 2017, Ethereum saw a 10,000% jump in price between January and December, while Bitcoin saw a price increase of 1,500% within the same period. Compared to the best performing traditional stock in that same year, which recorded a 142% increase, the gap in margins is wide.

Unfortunately, while the past performance of these cryptocurrencies is exciting, 2018 has been filled with negative events in the industry that have hindered its performance. From the hacks of notable exchanges like Coinrail and Bithumb to the SEC ICO investigation and rejection of a Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund by the Winklevoss brothers, it has been a sad year for cryptocurrencies. Several prominent executives including Jack Ma and George Soros have also gone on record to call Bitcoin a fraud and bubble. This has led many others to admonish the asset while simultaneously praising blockchain, the technology behind it.

In anticipation of a bubble burst in the industry, people are now looking for more stable ways to invest. One of the best available options is to invest in companies that use blockchain technology for reasonable applications. Amidst the frenzy, this guarantees long-term returns and some stability since the stock performance is driven by more than just speculation.

Not only can blockchain technology support the functions of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, and Ripple, it has the potential to revolutionize marketplaces, and the way data is stored and transferred around the globe. Applied properly, and in innovative ways, blockchain may significantly change the future of money, finance and more. It may survive and thrive long after cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin cease to exist. Many different industries are looking into blockchain research and development in search of ways for better fraud prevention security, faster transmission confirmation, and potential cost savings.

According to a recent prediction, blockchain platforms will store 10% of global GDP within the next ten years. This is why it is critical to invest in the corporations with great use cases for it or large corporations that have partnered with blockchain platforms to offer one form of enterprise-facing technology or another. Identifying the companies with the most potential to generate revenue streams with the use of the technology will help investors minimize loss. Many companies employ this technology but based on application, performance, and partnerships, these are the top 5 blockchain stocks to watch:

1. NASDAQ

Nasdaq is one of the leading providers of securities trading, clearing, exchange technology, and listing services. With operations spanning across six continents and an impressive portfolio, the firm aids customers with the planning, execution, and improvement of their businesses. Using advanced financial technology solutions, Nasdaq provides these customers with the necessary insights, analytics and relevant metrics for them to successfully navigate global capital markets.

The New York-based firm currently acts as the powerhouse of over 70 marketplaces spanning across 50 countries and servicing more than 10,000 corporate clients. It also houses the world's first electronic stock market which executes 10% of all global securities transactions. The Nasdaq platform currently lists over 3,600 companies with a combined market value of about $8.8 trillion.

Nasdaq operates at the intersection point between the finance and technology industries by helping investors with the navigation of the securities market. Known in every investment circle, Nasdaq has become an industry leader in the development of innovative securities methodologies. Apart from being the second largest stock exchange in the world, second only to the New York Stock Exchange, the firm has made waves recently for its use of blockchain technology.

NASDAQ BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Although the stock market and cryptocurrency market are similar in many ways, they are still far apart regarding regulations and volatility. This hasn’t stopped Nasdaq from exploring and incorporating the use of the technology in its basic applications and operations. The company was one of the first to adopt and implement blockchain technology and is currently on the forefront of blockchain’s transformative potential. With their customers in mind, Nasdaq is gradually transforming the global capital markets through significant acquisitions.

NASDAQ LINQ

In December 2015, the company announced that Chain.com, a blockchain firm and inaugural Nasdaq Linq client was able to use the Nasdaq Linq blockchain for the successful completion of a private securities transaction. The ledger also recorded the transaction accurately, marking the first blockchain application of its kind.

In the transaction, the issuer (Chain.com) was able to successfully document a record of ownership digitally on the Nasdaq Linq platform. This significantly reduced the time taken to carry out traditional clearing and settling, while eliminating the need for issuance of paper stock certificates. Apart from equity management, Nasdaq Linq provides issuers and investors the opportunity to complete and execute subscription documents online.

Chain.com is one of the most prominent providers of blockchain infrastructure and support to enterprises, especially financial institutions. The firm provides businesses with a platform for the secure issuance and management of digital assets using blockchain technology. They service customers in various markets, including banking, payments, telecommunications, capital markets, and energy markets.  Based in San Francisco, CA, Chains.com has received funding from top venture firms and investors like Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, RRE Ventures, Visa, Citi, Nasdaq, Capital One, Fiserv and Orange.

According to former Nasdaq CEO, Bob Greifield, the company believes that the success of the transaction is a huge milestone in the advancement of the global financial sector and blockchain as a whole. He stated that this initial application of blockchain technology serves as the beginning of a process that could disrupt the core infrastructure of capital market systems. It could also proffer positive outcomes for outdated settlement and administrative functions.

Adam Ludwin, the CEO of Chain.com also expressed positive sentiments over the partnership with Nasdaq, stating that the transaction met all objectives seamlessly, drastically reducing manual ownership transfer time in the process. Blockchain technology can potentially expedite clearing and settlement from the current time standard of three days to as little as ten or fifteen minutes. This way, exposure to risk can be reduced by more than 99%, lowering systemic risks and capital costs in the process.

BLOCKCHAIN FOR MUTUAL FUNDS

Nasdaq has also made plans to roll out its blockchain-for-mutual-funds solution in Nordic countries. The solution is designed to ease the brokerage issues generally associated with mutual funds. Normally, these transactions are carried out through a third party brokerage or the fund company directly. When the transaction involves buying a foreign mutual fund, things become even more complicated for the investor. To ensure that the transaction is verified, there has to be communication between all parties involved and the presence of intermediaries complicates the process.

As a result of the old methods used to verify transactions and track fund ownership, the process is inefficient. There are often errors, especially due to the country-specific record requirements. This often causes involved parties to start over, leading to a waste of time and resources. However, with blockchain technology, Nasdaq is working to solve these issues by eliminating most third-party involvement.

Due to the distributed nature of a blockchain, depending on Nasdaq’s specifications, country-specific requirements may be overruled. Overall, the application of this ledger technology will result in a more efficient process for issuers and investors. The platform has already been deployed among the Swedish mutual fund families and will be deployed to all Nordic countries soon.

CITIGROUP PARTNERSHIP

In 2017, Nasdaq announced a collaboration with CitiGroup which involved integrating the latter firm’s business payment service with the Nasdaq blockchain platform. Citi's bank transfer system handles transactions associated with commerce including payroll, dividend, and interest. The union of both platforms gave rise to the first enterprise blockchain transactions using the CitiConnect tool. On the joint platform, Nasdaq Linq automatically reconciles Citi payment transactions in real-time.

Nasdaq’s latest blockchain venture came in June 2018, when the firm announced the successful testing of its blockchain-based Proof-of-Concept (PoC) protocol. The Proof-of-Concept was created in a collaborative effort with ABN AMRO Clearing, Euroclear and EuroCCP. It will provide efficient round-the-clock securities collateral solutions for issues associated with making margin calls after trading hours are over. This will eliminate potential losses and make the process easier.

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN NASDAQ?

Nasdaq's adoption of blockchain technology holds promise for the future of finance. Each partnership brings a different and more creative approach to so many problems faced by stock exchanges and investors. Even if cryptocurrencies cease to exist one day, Nasdaq will probably still be around, transforming the investment landscape as it has done since 1971.

2. IBM

Despite the popularity of International Business Machines (IBM) and the long string of blockchain partnerships the firm has accumulated, it is still considered old tech in the world of investment. This misconception stems partly from the fact that in the last five years, the company has only posted one-quarter of revenue growth. In that same amount of time, IBM has lost 20% of its value even though tech shares have more than doubled in price generally.

Despite its poorly performing stock, IBM is an excellent investment in one significant aspect: blockchain technology. The tech giant has managed to establish dominance in the cryptocurrency industry through a series of bold moves, centered around enterprise payment solutions. At this rate, IBM stock could see a major change in coming years.

Just like traditional financial institutions, Wall Street has not shown much acceptance towards cryptocurrency. This is mostly due to the lack of regulation that protects investors’ funds. It is also due to the theft and general insecurity in the industry. As a result, to some extent, IBM’s blockchain developments have not been fully recognized. While the idea of immutable digital public ledgers looks good on paper, the reality poses several complications. It also brings change, which the financial industry may not be ready for.

IBM BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Since its decision to enter into the world of blockchain, IBM has made several significant partnerships that have sealed its place as a high roller in the industry. The firm’s foray into blockchain began with the development of a public cloud service known as IBM Blockchain which runs on the Hyperledger Fabric, an open-source platform created by the Linux Foundation.

IBM blockchain allows users to build their own blockchain networks for various applications in a safe and straightforward way. The firm’s partners have all brought their unique applications to its platform. Each one is a leading innovator with the aim of transforming the industry.

STELLAR LUMENS PARTNERSHIP

IBM announced its partnership with Stellar Lumens in October 2017. According to the announcement, the partnership is geared towards facilitating cross-border payments, especially in developing countries. At the time of the announcement, both partners along with KlickEx Group had tested the use of their technology in the South Pacific Region. Leveraging Stellar’s token, Lumens or XLM, which has a current market capitalization of over $3.6 billion, and KlickEx’s financial experience and prowess, IBM is making payments easier for South Pacific residents.

Stellar will act as the intermediary between participating banks by allowing them to convert their currency to Stellar Lumens before carrying out transactions. For example, a company in South Korea that wants to send money to another in Malaysia will convert South Korean Won to Lumens which will then be converted to Malaysian Ringgits in a few seconds, at a low cost.

The firm is currently working with twelve major banks in the region to process cross-border payments on its platform in real-time. This will make the process more efficient for all relevant stakeholders. Technically, IBM and Stellar Lumens are competitors in the blockchain space but have embraced an open-source approach which will benefit the industry in the long run.

VERDE BY VERIDIUM LABS

Veridium Labs has been a force for environmental change since it first emerged with a plan to reduce carbon footprint by making it easier to trade carbon credits. The company has already formed important partnerships with corporations like KPMG and Infinite Earth to see its mission through. However, one of its most recent partnerships is with IBM and was announced by the latter firm in May 2018.

To make the tracking and trade of carbon credits easier, Veridium Labs created its token called VERDE. Each token is embedded with a “carbon charge” which gives it an “Emissions Offset Capacity.” This functions as the digital form of a battery which carries a charge to power the token. When VERDE tokens are used in the process of conducting trades, they discharge parts of their carbon capacity. This mitigates the negative environmental impacts of products.

BATAVIA BY INTERNATIONAL BANK CONSORTIUM

IBM recently partnered with the International Bank Consortium, consisting of Bank of Montreal (BMO), CaixaBank, Erste Group, Commerzbank and UBS to create a blockchain-powered trade platform. The platform successfully concluded tests involving five live pilot transactions. Some of the transactions included textile trade between Austria and Spain as well as automobile trade between Germany and Spain.

The trade platform, known as Batavia, executes smart payments and closes trade agreements using blockchain ledger technology. The success of the pilot transactions show that the technology can potentially change commerce globally, making it a less expensive, more efficient process.

FOOD SAFETY ALLIANCE WITH WALMART & JD.COM

IBM also partnered with Walmart and  JD.com, a Chinese retailer, as well as Tsinghua University in Beijing to improve the food safety and tracking process in China. The partnership has given rise to the emergence of a Blockchain Food Safety Alliance for the food industry on a global scale. According to Walmart, blockchain can make the process of food tracking easier, while fixing the issues associated with the current supply chain in the process.

WHY INVEST IN IBM?

IBM is a staunch believer in the power of blockchain and is making significant investments to back up their belief. According to Marie Wieck, IBM general manager of blockchain initiatives, the adoption of blockchain by governments and businesses, may add an estimated $3.1 trillion of value to the global economy by 2030.

The firm has also expressed intentions to continuously pursue not just blockchain applications but those of Cloud and Artificial Intelligence technology as well. The drop in IBM stock has been attributed to the fact that many market players are focused on the long term. While this is not encouraging, there are many reasons to invest in IBM.

For now, the attention mostly focuses on the smaller blockchain startups that emerge regularly. Some of these companies provide sketchy whitepapers and promises of what they hope to achieve with their technology. On cue, investors troop in from all areas of the world to bet on such companies by participating in Initial Coin Offering (ICOs).

IBM however, is a better option than such companies because it offers the promise of long-term sustainability. If Bitcoin is indeed a bubble and the bubble bursts, most blockchain companies involving ICOs will take considerable hits and in some cases, cease to exist. On the other hand, a company with a solid tech background and years of experience like IBM will not take as much of a hit. If it does, it has a good chance of recovering. Apart from this, there are a few other reasons to add IBM stock to any investment portfolio:

IBM currently occupies the number one rank in blockchain according to a survey of 400 managers, executives and leading tech professionals, by Juniper Research, a digital commerce and financial technology research firm.

The firm was ranked first by 43% out of all the businesses either actively considering blockchain adoption or are in the process of deploying it in various forms. Microsoft was ranked second by 20%.

IBM is currently involved in heavy blockchain research and development initiatives, including its role in the development of Hyperledger Fabric. This technology will act as a launchpad and operation base for several business applications soon.

The firm has built an impressive list of Fortune-500 clients across various industries.

IBM beat Wall Street analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates for the fourth quarter of 2017. Operating earnings of at least $13.80 per share are expected from the company in 2018.

After a discouraging stagnation for 23 quarters, the company recorded a year-over-year revenue growth. New technologies showed a year-over-year growth rate of 11% and a quarterly growth rate of 17% for the quarter. This means that new technologies now constitute 46% of the company’s total sales. Cloud revenues also recorded a year-over-year growth rate of 24%, amounting to  $17billion in the last 12 months. These figures show that the company may finally be headed towards a positive growth trajectory.

The firm is constantly developing technologies that have excellent use cases and make adoption easier.

3. HITACHI

Being one of the biggest firms in Japan, it is not surprising that Hitachi has adopted blockchain technology. The multinational technology firm is known for its long string of enterprise solutions and its bullet trains. However, it has added blockchain to its diverse portfolio. The corporation is currently developing a financial solution that uses blockchain technology like smart contracts to make trading and payment processes more secure.

Hitachi’s foray into blockchain began in 2017 when the company became one of the founding members of Hyperledger. Its role in stabilizing Hyperledger operations, and creating the application development environment has contributed to the success of the hyperledger fabric which powers several blockchain applications including the IBM Blockchain.

Stock investment has always been a fantastic way for many people to make a passive income. Approximately33% of households in the United States own taxable investment accounts. While the traditional stock market is immensely profitable, a new way to invest has emerged.

The emergence of cryptocurrency has brought about a new, rapidly-developing form of investment. Bitcoin is fast becoming a household name, due to its status as the biggest cryptocurrency by market share and the fact that although there are currently over 1000 cryptocurrencies, it was the first to emerge. Since 2009, the buzz around digital currencies has continued to grow and reached an all-time high in 2017, when Bitcoin hit its peak price of $20,000.

Many people who were early investors in the asset became instant millionaires, and this attracted even more new investors looking for a piece of the cake. But despite its image, the cryptocurrency industry is not all glitz, glam, and Lamborghinis. As much as huge profits can be made, huge losses also plague the industry. The high market volatility, theft, and scams that have come to define the industry, make it a living hell for several investors.

However, what the industry lacks in regulation and stability, it more than makes up for in profit margins. In 2017, Ethereum saw a 10,000% jump in price between January and December, while Bitcoin saw a price increase of 1,500% within the same period. Compared to the best performing traditional stock in that same year, which recorded a 142% increase, the gap in margins is wide.

Unfortunately, while the past performance of these cryptocurrencies is exciting, 2018 has been filled with negative events in the industry that have hindered its performance. From the hacks of notable exchanges like Coinrail and Bithumb to the SEC ICO investigation and rejection of a Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund by the Winklevoss brothers, it has been a sad year for cryptocurrencies. Several prominent executives including Jack Ma and George Soros have also gone on record to call Bitcoin a fraud and bubble. This has led many others to admonish the asset while simultaneously praising blockchain, the technology behind it.

In anticipation of a bubble burst in the industry, people are now looking for more stable ways to invest. One of the best available options is to invest in companies that use blockchain technology for reasonable applications. Amidst the frenzy, this guarantees long-term returns and some stability since the stock performance is driven by more than just speculation.

Not only can blockchain technology support the functions of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, and Ripple, it has the potential to revolutionize marketplaces, and the way data is stored and transferred around the globe. Applied properly, and in innovative ways, blockchain may significantly change the future of money, finance and more. It may survive and thrive long after cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin cease to exist. Many different industries are looking into blockchain research and development in search of ways for better fraud prevention security, faster transmission confirmation, and potential cost savings.

According to a recent prediction, blockchain platforms will store 10% of global GDP within the next ten years. This is why it is critical to invest in the corporations with great use cases for it or large corporations that have partnered with blockchain platforms to offer one form of enterprise-facing technology or another. Identifying the companies with the most potential to generate revenue streams with the use of the technology will help investors minimize loss. Many companies employ this technology but based on application, performance, and partnerships, these are the top 5 blockchain stocks to watch:

1. NASDAQ

Nasdaq is one of the leading providers of securities trading, clearing, exchange technology, and listing services. With operations spanning across six continents and an impressive portfolio, the firm aids customers with the planning, execution, and improvement of their businesses. Using advanced financial technology solutions, Nasdaq provides these customers with the necessary insights, analytics and relevant metrics for them to successfully navigate global capital markets.

The New York-based firm currently acts as the powerhouse of over 70 marketplaces spanning across 50 countries and servicing more than 10,000 corporate clients. It also houses the world's first electronic stock market which executes 10% of all global securities transactions. The Nasdaq platform currently lists over 3,600 companies with a combined market value of about $8.8 trillion.

Nasdaq operates at the intersection point between the finance and technology industries by helping investors with the navigation of the securities market. Known in every investment circle, Nasdaq has become an industry leader in the development of innovative securities methodologies. Apart from being the second largest stock exchange in the world, second only to the New York Stock Exchange, the firm has made waves recently for its use of blockchain technology.

NASDAQ BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Although the stock market and cryptocurrency market are similar in many ways, they are still far apart regarding regulations and volatility. This hasn’t stopped Nasdaq from exploring and incorporating the use of the technology in its basic applications and operations. The company was one of the first to adopt and implement blockchain technology and is currently on the forefront of blockchain’s transformative potential. With their customers in mind, Nasdaq is gradually transforming the global capital markets through significant acquisitions.

NASDAQ LINQ

In December 2015, the company announced that Chain.com, a blockchain firm and inaugural Nasdaq Linq client was able to use the Nasdaq Linq blockchain for the successful completion of a private securities transaction. The ledger also recorded the transaction accurately, marking the first blockchain application of its kind.

In the transaction, the issuer (Chain.com) was able to successfully document a record of ownership digitally on the Nasdaq Linq platform. This significantly reduced the time taken to carry out traditional clearing and settling, while eliminating the need for issuance of paper stock certificates. Apart from equity management, Nasdaq Linq provides issuers and investors the opportunity to complete and execute subscription documents online.

Chain.com is one of the most prominent providers of blockchain infrastructure and support to enterprises, especially financial institutions. The firm provides businesses with a platform for the secure issuance and management of digital assets using blockchain technology. They service customers in various markets, including banking, payments, telecommunications, capital markets, and energy markets.  Based in San Francisco, CA, Chains.com has received funding from top venture firms and investors like Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, RRE Ventures, Visa, Citi, Nasdaq, Capital One, Fiserv and Orange.

According to former Nasdaq CEO, Bob Greifield, the company believes that the success of the transaction is a huge milestone in the advancement of the global financial sector and blockchain as a whole. He stated that this initial application of blockchain technology serves as the beginning of a process that could disrupt the core infrastructure of capital market systems. It could also proffer positive outcomes for outdated settlement and administrative functions.

Adam Ludwin, the CEO of Chain.com also expressed positive sentiments over the partnership with Nasdaq, stating that the transaction met all objectives seamlessly, drastically reducing manual ownership transfer time in the process. Blockchain technology can potentially expedite clearing and settlement from the current time standard of three days to as little as ten or fifteen minutes. This way, exposure to risk can be reduced by more than 99%, lowering systemic risks and capital costs in the process.

BLOCKCHAIN FOR MUTUAL FUNDS

Nasdaq has also made plans to roll out its blockchain-for-mutual-funds solution in Nordic countries. The solution is designed to ease the brokerage issues generally associated with mutual funds. Normally, these transactions are carried out through a third party brokerage or the fund company directly. When the transaction involves buying a foreign mutual fund, things become even more complicated for the investor. To ensure that the transaction is verified, there has to be communication between all parties involved and the presence of intermediaries complicates the process.

As a result of the old methods used to verify transactions and track fund ownership, the process is inefficient. There are often errors, especially due to the country-specific record requirements. This often causes involved parties to start over, leading to a waste of time and resources. However, with blockchain technology, Nasdaq is working to solve these issues by eliminating most third-party involvement.

Due to the distributed nature of a blockchain, depending on Nasdaq’s specifications, country-specific requirements may be overruled. Overall, the application of this ledger technology will result in a more efficient process for issuers and investors. The platform has already been deployed among the Swedish mutual fund families and will be deployed to all Nordic countries soon.

CITIGROUP PARTNERSHIP

In 2017, Nasdaq announced a collaboration with CitiGroup which involved integrating the latter firm’s business payment service with the Nasdaq blockchain platform. Citi's bank transfer system handles transactions associated with commerce including payroll, dividend, and interest. The union of both platforms gave rise to the first enterprise blockchain transactions using the CitiConnect tool. On the joint platform, Nasdaq Linq automatically reconciles Citi payment transactions in real-time.

Nasdaq’s latest blockchain venture came in June 2018, when the firm announced the successful testing of its blockchain-based Proof-of-Concept (PoC) protocol. The Proof-of-Concept was created in a collaborative effort with ABN AMRO Clearing, Euroclear and EuroCCP. It will provide efficient round-the-clock securities collateral solutions for issues associated with making margin calls after trading hours are over. This will eliminate potential losses and make the process easier.

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN NASDAQ?

Nasdaq's adoption of blockchain technology holds promise for the future of finance. Each partnership brings a different and more creative approach to so many problems faced by stock exchanges and investors. Even if cryptocurrencies cease to exist one day, Nasdaq will probably still be around, transforming the investment landscape as it has done since 1971.

2. IBM

Despite the popularity of International Business Machines (IBM) and the long string of blockchain partnerships the firm has accumulated, it is still considered old tech in the world of investment. This misconception stems partly from the fact that in the last five years, the company has only posted one-quarter of revenue growth. In that same amount of time, IBM has lost 20% of its value even though tech shares have more than doubled in price generally.

Despite its poorly performing stock, IBM is an excellent investment in one significant aspect: blockchain technology. The tech giant has managed to establish dominance in the cryptocurrency industry through a series of bold moves, centered around enterprise payment solutions. At this rate, IBM stock could see a major change in coming years.

Just like traditional financial institutions, Wall Street has not shown much acceptance towards cryptocurrency. This is mostly due to the lack of regulation that protects investors’ funds. It is also due to the theft and general insecurity in the industry. As a result, to some extent, IBM’s blockchain developments have not been fully recognized. While the idea of immutable digital public ledgers looks good on paper, the reality poses several complications. It also brings change, which the financial industry may not be ready for.

IBM BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Since its decision to enter into the world of blockchain, IBM has made several significant partnerships that have sealed its place as a high roller in the industry. The firm’s foray into blockchain began with the development of a public cloud service known as IBM Blockchain which runs on the Hyperledger Fabric, an open-source platform created by the Linux Foundation.

IBM blockchain allows users to build their own blockchain networks for various applications in a safe and straightforward way. The firm’s partners have all brought their unique applications to its platform. Each one is a leading innovator with the aim of transforming the industry.

STELLAR LUMENS PARTNERSHIP

IBM announced its partnership with Stellar Lumens in October 2017. According to the announcement, the partnership is geared towards facilitating cross-border payments, especially in developing countries. At the time of the announcement, both partners along with KlickEx Group had tested the use of their technology in the South Pacific Region. Leveraging Stellar’s token, Lumens or XLM, which has a current market capitalization of over $3.6 billion, and KlickEx’s financial experience and prowess, IBM is making payments easier for South Pacific residents.

Stellar will act as the intermediary between participating banks by allowing them to convert their currency to Stellar Lumens before carrying out transactions. For example, a company in South Korea that wants to send money to another in Malaysia will convert South Korean Won to Lumens which will then be converted to Malaysian Ringgits in a few seconds, at a low cost.

The firm is currently working with twelve major banks in the region to process cross-border payments on its platform in real-time. This will make the process more efficient for all relevant stakeholders. Technically, IBM and Stellar Lumens are competitors in the blockchain space but have embraced an open-source approach which will benefit the industry in the long run.

VERDE BY VERIDIUM LABS

Veridium Labs has been a force for environmental change since it first emerged with a plan to reduce carbon footprint by making it easier to trade carbon credits. The company has already formed important partnerships with corporations like KPMG and Infinite Earth to see its mission through. However, one of its most recent partnerships is with IBM and was announced by the latter firm in May 2018.

To make the tracking and trade of carbon credits easier, Veridium Labs created its token called VERDE. Each token is embedded with a “carbon charge” which gives it an “Emissions Offset Capacity.” This functions as the digital form of a battery which carries a charge to power the token. When VERDE tokens are used in the process of conducting trades, they discharge parts of their carbon capacity. This mitigates the negative environmental impacts of products.

BATAVIA BY INTERNATIONAL BANK CONSORTIUM

IBM recently partnered with the International Bank Consortium, consisting of Bank of Montreal (BMO), CaixaBank, Erste Group, Commerzbank and UBS to create a blockchain-powered trade platform. The platform successfully concluded tests involving five live pilot transactions. Some of the transactions included textile trade between Austria and Spain as well as automobile trade between Germany and Spain.

The trade platform, known as Batavia, executes smart payments and closes trade agreements using blockchain ledger technology. The success of the pilot transactions show that the technology can potentially change commerce globally, making it a less expensive, more efficient process.

FOOD SAFETY ALLIANCE WITH WALMART & JD.COM

IBM also partnered with Walmart and  JD.com, a Chinese retailer, as well as Tsinghua University in Beijing to improve the food safety and tracking process in China. The partnership has given rise to the emergence of a Blockchain Food Safety Alliance for the food industry on a global scale. According to Walmart, blockchain can make the process of food tracking easier, while fixing the issues associated with the current supply chain in the process.

WHY INVEST IN IBM?

IBM is a staunch believer in the power of blockchain and is making significant investments to back up their belief. According to Marie Wieck, IBM general manager of blockchain initiatives, the adoption of blockchain by governments and businesses, may add an estimated $3.1 trillion of value to the global economy by 2030.

The firm has also expressed intentions to continuously pursue not just blockchain applications but those of Cloud and Artificial Intelligence technology as well. The drop in IBM stock has been attributed to the fact that many market players are focused on the long term. While this is not encouraging, there are many reasons to invest in IBM.

For now, the attention mostly focuses on the smaller blockchain startups that emerge regularly. Some of these companies provide sketchy whitepapers and promises of what they hope to achieve with their technology. On cue, investors troop in from all areas of the world to bet on such companies by participating in Initial Coin Offering (ICOs).

IBM however, is a better option than such companies because it offers the promise of long-term sustainability. If Bitcoin is indeed a bubble and the bubble bursts, most blockchain companies involving ICOs will take considerable hits and in some cases, cease to exist. On the other hand, a company with a solid tech background and years of experience like IBM will not take as much of a hit. If it does, it has a good chance of recovering. Apart from this, there are a few other reasons to add IBM stock to any investment portfolio:

IBM currently occupies the number one rank in blockchain according to a survey of 400 managers, executives and leading tech professionals, by Juniper Research, a digital commerce and financial technology research firm.

The firm was ranked first by 43% out of all the businesses either actively considering blockchain adoption or are in the process of deploying it in various forms. Microsoft was ranked second by 20%.

IBM is currently involved in heavy blockchain research and development initiatives, including its role in the development of Hyperledger Fabric. This technology will act as a launchpad and operation base for several business applications soon.

The firm has built an impressive list of Fortune-500 clients across various industries.

IBM beat Wall Street analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates for the fourth quarter of 2017. Operating earnings of at least $13.80 per share are expected from the company in 2018.

After a discouraging stagnation for 23 quarters, the company recorded a year-over-year revenue growth. New technologies showed a year-over-year growth rate of 11% and a quarterly growth rate of 17% for the quarter. This means that new technologies now constitute 46% of the company’s total sales. Cloud revenues also recorded a year-over-year growth rate of 24%, amounting to  $17billion in the last 12 months. These figures show that the company may finally be headed towards a positive growth trajectory.

The firm is constantly developing technologies that have excellent use cases and make adoption easier.

3. HITACHI

Being one of the biggest firms in Japan, it is not surprising that Hitachi has adopted blockchain technology. The multinational technology firm is known for its long string of enterprise solutions and its bullet trains. However, it has added blockchain to its diverse portfolio. The corporation is currently developing a financial solution that uses blockchain technology like smart contracts to make trading and payment processes more secure.

Hitachi’s foray into blockchain began in 2017 when the company became one of the founding members of Hyperledger. Its role in stabilizing Hyperledger operations, and creating the application development environment has contributed to the success of the hyperledger fabric which powers several blockchain applications including the IBM Blockchain.

HITACHI BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Apart from its Hyperledger contributions, the company has made significant blockchain moves as far as innovation, and research and development are concerned. Currently, they are developing a solution to insure property and casualties. The solution uses blockchain technology to streamline communication in the event of an accident as well as purchase confirmations and verifications by making it easier to share information.

The company is also developing a trade solution which will manage most of the normal tasks in the trade flow. These tasks include contracts, clearing, and settlement. The platform synchronizes the status of contracts with the workflow and uses smart contracts to automate payment deposits and execution. This ensures that the tasks are performed more easily and efficiently.

Another project that the company is currently working on centers around payment traceability. Using this platform, users will be able to track the origin and destination of orders easily. It is specifically tailored to parts manufacturers and will solve a lot of supply chain problems. They aim to continue their committed research and development efforts to find and produce more use cases for blockchain technology.

WHY INVEST IN HITACHI?

Although the firm hasn’t been involved in blockchain development for as long as other companies like IBM, they’ve been actively working to close that gap. They have developed a 3-phase approach to blockchain applications as follows:

Development and standardization of the Blockchain: Hitachi has been working, through Hyperledger, to develop a global-standard blockchain functionality. The Hyperledger program is an international non-profit initiative for the standardization of blockchain technologies. It was established in the United States by the Linux Foundation and currently has almost 200 members in the form of various companies and organizations. The firm believes that the technology will have a high social impact and is dedicated to standardizing it, to maximize its benefits.

Research and development: The company is investing heavily in the research and development of more efficient functions for financial solutions. Their experience in creating such solutions is a solid foundation for the integration of blockchain technology. These functions also include security, a much-needed feature for any product within the industry. In light of recent hacks and thefts of cryptocurrency, Hitachi’s dedication to security is much needed. The company recently established the Financial Innovation Laboratory for FinTech R&D in Silicon Valley. The laboratory will serve as a base and accelerator for collaborative blockchain innovation with financial institutions.

Consideration of use cases for social infrastructure: Apart from financial services, Hitachi has been exploring service applications that center around other types of businesses. This way, the company hopes to leverage their expertise in a broader scope of domains and apply their use cases in a social domain. One way Hitachi is achieving this is by creating each of the blockchain prototypes discussed earlier, which use a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) testing protocol. This protocol connects different types of businesses with the use of a blockchain.

The problems that Hitachi is trying to solve, cut across almost every industry in a broader sense. The conglomerate also has more than a century of tech experience in its bag and investors can be assured that it will thrive in the long run.

4. DAIMLER AG

This German multinational automotive corporation has made a name for itself through ownership of shares in several prominent automotive companies including Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Fuso, Mercedes-AMG and Detroit Diesel amongst others. It is currently the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer in the world, selling a total of 3.3 million units in 2017 alone.

Despite its popularity for manufacturing cars, Daimler AG has also seen considerable success from Daimler Financial Services; it’s financial arm. The automotive giant is also known for its presence in the global tech industry and has made recent innovative moves within the space. One of the most recent projects the firm has embarked on involves the testing of Blockchain technology for financial purposes.

Daimler AG recently announced its partnership with Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) to execute a financial transaction using Blockchain. Every step of the transaction including origination, allocation, distribution, and execution were facilitated by the technology. The purpose of the test was to find out more about the new technology for the purpose of creating more efficient business models.

According to the Daimler website, the company has set up a €100 million 1 year loan instrument known as a Schuldschein through Landesbank Baden-Württemberg with several major savings banks acting as lenders. Due to the success of the test, Daimler has stated intentions to integrate blockchain technology into the full spectrum of its business activities.

The product of the partnership between Daimler AG and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, shows how various sectors interconnect where technology is concerned. The firm believes that this technology can disrupt the entire value chain including sales and marketing, customer relations, supplier management, financial services, and digital services.

Stock investment has always been a fantastic way for many people to make a passive income. Approximately33% of households in the United States own taxable investment accounts. While the traditional stock market is immensely profitable, a new way to invest has emerged.

The emergence of cryptocurrency has brought about a new, rapidly-developing form of investment. Bitcoin is fast becoming a household name, due to its status as the biggest cryptocurrency by market share and the fact that although there are currently over 1000 cryptocurrencies, it was the first to emerge. Since 2009, the buzz around digital currencies has continued to grow and reached an all-time high in 2017, when Bitcoin hit its peak price of $20,000.

Many people who were early investors in the asset became instant millionaires, and this attracted even more new investors looking for a piece of the cake. But despite its image, the cryptocurrency industry is not all glitz, glam, and Lamborghinis. As much as huge profits can be made, huge losses also plague the industry. The high market volatility, theft, and scams that have come to define the industry, make it a living hell for several investors.

However, what the industry lacks in regulation and stability, it more than makes up for in profit margins. In 2017, Ethereum saw a 10,000% jump in price between January and December, while Bitcoin saw a price increase of 1,500% within the same period. Compared to the best performing traditional stock in that same year, which recorded a 142% increase, the gap in margins is wide.

Unfortunately, while the past performance of these cryptocurrencies is exciting, 2018 has been filled with negative events in the industry that have hindered its performance. From the hacks of notable exchanges like Coinrail and Bithumb to the SEC ICO investigation and rejection of a Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund by the Winklevoss brothers, it has been a sad year for cryptocurrencies. Several prominent executives including Jack Ma and George Soros have also gone on record to call Bitcoin a fraud and bubble. This has led many others to admonish the asset while simultaneously praising blockchain, the technology behind it.

In anticipation of a bubble burst in the industry, people are now looking for more stable ways to invest. One of the best available options is to invest in companies that use blockchain technology for reasonable applications. Amidst the frenzy, this guarantees long-term returns and some stability since the stock performance is driven by more than just speculation.

Not only can blockchain technology support the functions of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, and Ripple, it has the potential to revolutionize marketplaces, and the way data is stored and transferred around the globe. Applied properly, and in innovative ways, blockchain may significantly change the future of money, finance and more. It may survive and thrive long after cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin cease to exist. Many different industries are looking into blockchain research and development in search of ways for better fraud prevention security, faster transmission confirmation, and potential cost savings.

According to a recent prediction, blockchain platforms will store 10% of global GDP within the next ten years. This is why it is critical to invest in the corporations with great use cases for it or large corporations that have partnered with blockchain platforms to offer one form of enterprise-facing technology or another. Identifying the companies with the most potential to generate revenue streams with the use of the technology will help investors minimize loss. Many companies employ this technology but based on application, performance, and partnerships, these are the top 5 blockchain stocks to watch:

1. NASDAQ

Nasdaq is one of the leading providers of securities trading, clearing, exchange technology, and listing services. With operations spanning across six continents and an impressive portfolio, the firm aids customers with the planning, execution, and improvement of their businesses. Using advanced financial technology solutions, Nasdaq provides these customers with the necessary insights, analytics and relevant metrics for them to successfully navigate global capital markets.

The New York-based firm currently acts as the powerhouse of over 70 marketplaces spanning across 50 countries and servicing more than 10,000 corporate clients. It also houses the world's first electronic stock market which executes 10% of all global securities transactions. The Nasdaq platform currently lists over 3,600 companies with a combined market value of about $8.8 trillion.

Nasdaq operates at the intersection point between the finance and technology industries by helping investors with the navigation of the securities market. Known in every investment circle, Nasdaq has become an industry leader in the development of innovative securities methodologies. Apart from being the second largest stock exchange in the world, second only to the New York Stock Exchange, the firm has made waves recently for its use of blockchain technology.

NASDAQ BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Although the stock market and cryptocurrency market are similar in many ways, they are still far apart regarding regulations and volatility. This hasn’t stopped Nasdaq from exploring and incorporating the use of the technology in its basic applications and operations. The company was one of the first to adopt and implement blockchain technology and is currently on the forefront of blockchain’s transformative potential. With their customers in mind, Nasdaq is gradually transforming the global capital markets through significant acquisitions.

NASDAQ LINQ

In December 2015, the company announced that Chain.com, a blockchain firm and inaugural Nasdaq Linq client was able to use the Nasdaq Linq blockchain for the successful completion of a private securities transaction. The ledger also recorded the transaction accurately, marking the first blockchain application of its kind.

In the transaction, the issuer (Chain.com) was able to successfully document a record of ownership digitally on the Nasdaq Linq platform. This significantly reduced the time taken to carry out traditional clearing and settling, while eliminating the need for issuance of paper stock certificates. Apart from equity management, Nasdaq Linq provides issuers and investors the opportunity to complete and execute subscription documents online.

Chain.com is one of the most prominent providers of blockchain infrastructure and support to enterprises, especially financial institutions. The firm provides businesses with a platform for the secure issuance and management of digital assets using blockchain technology. They service customers in various markets, including banking, payments, telecommunications, capital markets, and energy markets.  Based in San Francisco, CA, Chains.com has received funding from top venture firms and investors like Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, RRE Ventures, Visa, Citi, Nasdaq, Capital One, Fiserv and Orange.

According to former Nasdaq CEO, Bob Greifield, the company believes that the success of the transaction is a huge milestone in the advancement of the global financial sector and blockchain as a whole. He stated that this initial application of blockchain technology serves as the beginning of a process that could disrupt the core infrastructure of capital market systems. It could also proffer positive outcomes for outdated settlement and administrative functions.

Adam Ludwin, the CEO of Chain.com also expressed positive sentiments over the partnership with Nasdaq, stating that the transaction met all objectives seamlessly, drastically reducing manual ownership transfer time in the process. Blockchain technology can potentially expedite clearing and settlement from the current time standard of three days to as little as ten or fifteen minutes. This way, exposure to risk can be reduced by more than 99%, lowering systemic risks and capital costs in the process.

BLOCKCHAIN FOR MUTUAL FUNDS

Nasdaq has also made plans to roll out its blockchain-for-mutual-funds solution in Nordic countries. The solution is designed to ease the brokerage issues generally associated with mutual funds. Normally, these transactions are carried out through a third party brokerage or the fund company directly. When the transaction involves buying a foreign mutual fund, things become even more complicated for the investor. To ensure that the transaction is verified, there has to be communication between all parties involved and the presence of intermediaries complicates the process.

As a result of the old methods used to verify transactions and track fund ownership, the process is inefficient. There are often errors, especially due to the country-specific record requirements. This often causes involved parties to start over, leading to a waste of time and resources. However, with blockchain technology, Nasdaq is working to solve these issues by eliminating most third-party involvement.

Due to the distributed nature of a blockchain, depending on Nasdaq’s specifications, country-specific requirements may be overruled. Overall, the application of this ledger technology will result in a more efficient process for issuers and investors. The platform has already been deployed among the Swedish mutual fund families and will be deployed to all Nordic countries soon.

CITIGROUP PARTNERSHIP

In 2017, Nasdaq announced a collaboration with CitiGroup which involved integrating the latter firm’s business payment service with the Nasdaq blockchain platform. Citi's bank transfer system handles transactions associated with commerce including payroll, dividend, and interest. The union of both platforms gave rise to the first enterprise blockchain transactions using the CitiConnect tool. On the joint platform, Nasdaq Linq automatically reconciles Citi payment transactions in real-time.

Nasdaq’s latest blockchain venture came in June 2018, when the firm announced the successful testing of its blockchain-based Proof-of-Concept (PoC) protocol. The Proof-of-Concept was created in a collaborative effort with ABN AMRO Clearing, Euroclear and EuroCCP. It will provide efficient round-the-clock securities collateral solutions for issues associated with making margin calls after trading hours are over. This will eliminate potential losses and make the process easier.

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN NASDAQ?

Nasdaq's adoption of blockchain technology holds promise for the future of finance. Each partnership brings a different and more creative approach to so many problems faced by stock exchanges and investors. Even if cryptocurrencies cease to exist one day, Nasdaq will probably still be around, transforming the investment landscape as it has done since 1971.

2. IBM

Despite the popularity of International Business Machines (IBM) and the long string of blockchain partnerships the firm has accumulated, it is still considered old tech in the world of investment. This misconception stems partly from the fact that in the last five years, the company has only posted one-quarter of revenue growth. In that same amount of time, IBM has lost 20% of its value even though tech shares have more than doubled in price generally.

Despite its poorly performing stock, IBM is an excellent investment in one significant aspect: blockchain technology. The tech giant has managed to establish dominance in the cryptocurrency industry through a series of bold moves, centered around enterprise payment solutions. At this rate, IBM stock could see a major change in coming years.

Just like traditional financial institutions, Wall Street has not shown much acceptance towards cryptocurrency. This is mostly due to the lack of regulation that protects investors’ funds. It is also due to the theft and general insecurity in the industry. As a result, to some extent, IBM’s blockchain developments have not been fully recognized. While the idea of immutable digital public ledgers looks good on paper, the reality poses several complications. It also brings change, which the financial industry may not be ready for.

IBM BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Since its decision to enter into the world of blockchain, IBM has made several significant partnerships that have sealed its place as a high roller in the industry. The firm’s foray into blockchain began with the development of a public cloud service known as IBM Blockchain which runs on the Hyperledger Fabric, an open-source platform created by the Linux Foundation.

IBM blockchain allows users to build their own blockchain networks for various applications in a safe and straightforward way. The firm’s partners have all brought their unique applications to its platform. Each one is a leading innovator with the aim of transforming the industry.

STELLAR LUMENS PARTNERSHIP

IBM announced its partnership with Stellar Lumens in October 2017. According to the announcement, the partnership is geared towards facilitating cross-border payments, especially in developing countries. At the time of the announcement, both partners along with KlickEx Group had tested the use of their technology in the South Pacific Region. Leveraging Stellar’s token, Lumens or XLM, which has a current market capitalization of over $3.6 billion, and KlickEx’s financial experience and prowess, IBM is making payments easier for South Pacific residents.

Stellar will act as the intermediary between participating banks by allowing them to convert their currency to Stellar Lumens before carrying out transactions. For example, a company in South Korea that wants to send money to another in Malaysia will convert South Korean Won to Lumens which will then be converted to Malaysian Ringgits in a few seconds, at a low cost.

The firm is currently working with twelve major banks in the region to process cross-border payments on its platform in real-time. This will make the process more efficient for all relevant stakeholders. Technically, IBM and Stellar Lumens are competitors in the blockchain space but have embraced an open-source approach which will benefit the industry in the long run.

VERDE BY VERIDIUM LABS

Veridium Labs has been a force for environmental change since it first emerged with a plan to reduce carbon footprint by making it easier to trade carbon credits. The company has already formed important partnerships with corporations like KPMG and Infinite Earth to see its mission through. However, one of its most recent partnerships is with IBM and was announced by the latter firm in May 2018.

To make the tracking and trade of carbon credits easier, Veridium Labs created its token called VERDE. Each token is embedded with a “carbon charge” which gives it an “Emissions Offset Capacity.” This functions as the digital form of a battery which carries a charge to power the token. When VERDE tokens are used in the process of conducting trades, they discharge parts of their carbon capacity. This mitigates the negative environmental impacts of products.

BATAVIA BY INTERNATIONAL BANK CONSORTIUM

IBM recently partnered with the International Bank Consortium, consisting of Bank of Montreal (BMO), CaixaBank, Erste Group, Commerzbank and UBS to create a blockchain-powered trade platform. The platform successfully concluded tests involving five live pilot transactions. Some of the transactions included textile trade between Austria and Spain as well as automobile trade between Germany and Spain.

The trade platform, known as Batavia, executes smart payments and closes trade agreements using blockchain ledger technology. The success of the pilot transactions show that the technology can potentially change commerce globally, making it a less expensive, more efficient process.

FOOD SAFETY ALLIANCE WITH WALMART & JD.COM

IBM also partnered with Walmart and  JD.com, a Chinese retailer, as well as Tsinghua University in Beijing to improve the food safety and tracking process in China. The partnership has given rise to the emergence of a Blockchain Food Safety Alliance for the food industry on a global scale. According to Walmart, blockchain can make the process of food tracking easier, while fixing the issues associated with the current supply chain in the process.

WHY INVEST IN IBM?

IBM is a staunch believer in the power of blockchain and is making significant investments to back up their belief. According to Marie Wieck, IBM general manager of blockchain initiatives, the adoption of blockchain by governments and businesses, may add an estimated $3.1 trillion of value to the global economy by 2030.

The firm has also expressed intentions to continuously pursue not just blockchain applications but those of Cloud and Artificial Intelligence technology as well. The drop in IBM stock has been attributed to the fact that many market players are focused on the long term. While this is not encouraging, there are many reasons to invest in IBM.

For now, the attention mostly focuses on the smaller blockchain startups that emerge regularly. Some of these companies provide sketchy whitepapers and promises of what they hope to achieve with their technology. On cue, investors troop in from all areas of the world to bet on such companies by participating in Initial Coin Offering (ICOs).

IBM however, is a better option than such companies because it offers the promise of long-term sustainability. If Bitcoin is indeed a bubble and the bubble bursts, most blockchain companies involving ICOs will take considerable hits and in some cases, cease to exist. On the other hand, a company with a solid tech background and years of experience like IBM will not take as much of a hit. If it does, it has a good chance of recovering. Apart from this, there are a few other reasons to add IBM stock to any investment portfolio:

IBM currently occupies the number one rank in blockchain according to a survey of 400 managers, executives and leading tech professionals, by Juniper Research, a digital commerce and financial technology research firm.

The firm was ranked first by 43% out of all the businesses either actively considering blockchain adoption or are in the process of deploying it in various forms. Microsoft was ranked second by 20%.

IBM is currently involved in heavy blockchain research and development initiatives, including its role in the development of Hyperledger Fabric. This technology will act as a launchpad and operation base for several business applications soon.

The firm has built an impressive list of Fortune-500 clients across various industries.

IBM beat Wall Street analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates for the fourth quarter of 2017. Operating earnings of at least $13.80 per share are expected from the company in 2018.

After a discouraging stagnation for 23 quarters, the company recorded a year-over-year revenue growth. New technologies showed a year-over-year growth rate of 11% and a quarterly growth rate of 17% for the quarter. This means that new technologies now constitute 46% of the company’s total sales. Cloud revenues also recorded a year-over-year growth rate of 24%, amounting to  $17billion in the last 12 months. These figures show that the company may finally be headed towards a positive growth trajectory.

The firm is constantly developing technologies that have excellent use cases and make adoption easier.

3. HITACHI

Being one of the biggest firms in Japan, it is not surprising that Hitachi has adopted blockchain technology. The multinational technology firm is known for its long string of enterprise solutions and its bullet trains. However, it has added blockchain to its diverse portfolio. The corporation is currently developing a financial solution that uses blockchain technology like smart contracts to make trading and payment processes more secure.

Hitachi’s foray into blockchain began in 2017 when the company became one of the founding members of Hyperledger. Its role in stabilizing Hyperledger operations, and creating the application development environment has contributed to the success of the hyperledger fabric which powers several blockchain applications including the IBM Blockchain.

HITACHI BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Apart from its Hyperledger contributions, the company has made significant blockchain moves as far as innovation, and research and development are concerned. Currently, they are developing a solution to insure property and casualties. The solution uses blockchain technology to streamline communication in the event of an accident as well as purchase confirmations and verifications by making it easier to share information.

The company is also developing a trade solution which will manage most of the normal tasks in the trade flow. These tasks include contracts, clearing, and settlement. The platform synchronizes the status of contracts with the workflow and uses smart contracts to automate payment deposits and execution. This ensures that the tasks are performed more easily and efficiently.

Another project that the company is currently working on centers around payment traceability. Using this platform, users will be able to track the origin and destination of orders easily. It is specifically tailored to parts manufacturers and will solve a lot of supply chain problems. They aim to continue their committed research and development efforts to find and produce more use cases for blockchain technology.

WHY INVEST IN HITACHI?

Although the firm hasn’t been involved in blockchain development for as long as other companies like IBM, they’ve been actively working to close that gap. They have developed a 3-phase approach to blockchain applications as follows:

Development and standardization of the Blockchain: Hitachi has been working, through Hyperledger, to develop a global-standard blockchain functionality. The Hyperledger program is an international non-profit initiative for the standardization of blockchain technologies. It was established in the United States by the Linux Foundation and currently has almost 200 members in the form of various companies and organizations. The firm believes that the technology will have a high social impact and is dedicated to standardizing it, to maximize its benefits.

Research and development: The company is investing heavily in the research and development of more efficient functions for financial solutions. Their experience in creating such solutions is a solid foundation for the integration of blockchain technology. These functions also include security, a much-needed feature for any product within the industry. In light of recent hacks and thefts of cryptocurrency, Hitachi’s dedication to security is much needed. The company recently established the Financial Innovation Laboratory for FinTech R&D in Silicon Valley. The laboratory will serve as a base and accelerator for collaborative blockchain innovation with financial institutions.

Consideration of use cases for social infrastructure: Apart from financial services, Hitachi has been exploring service applications that center around other types of businesses. This way, the company hopes to leverage their expertise in a broader scope of domains and apply their use cases in a social domain. One way Hitachi is achieving this is by creating each of the blockchain prototypes discussed earlier, which use a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) testing protocol. This protocol connects different types of businesses with the use of a blockchain.

The problems that Hitachi is trying to solve, cut across almost every industry in a broader sense. The conglomerate also has more than a century of tech experience in its bag and investors can be assured that it will thrive in the long run.

4. DAIMLER AG

This German multinational automotive corporation has made a name for itself through ownership of shares in several prominent automotive companies including Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Fuso, Mercedes-AMG and Detroit Diesel amongst others. It is currently the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer in the world, selling a total of 3.3 million units in 2017 alone.

Despite its popularity for manufacturing cars, Daimler AG has also seen considerable success from Daimler Financial Services; it’s financial arm. The automotive giant is also known for its presence in the global tech industry and has made recent innovative moves within the space. One of the most recent projects the firm has embarked on involves the testing of Blockchain technology for financial purposes.

Daimler AG recently announced its partnership with Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) to execute a financial transaction using Blockchain. Every step of the transaction including origination, allocation, distribution, and execution were facilitated by the technology. The purpose of the test was to find out more about the new technology for the purpose of creating more efficient business models.

According to the Daimler website, the company has set up a €100 million 1 year loan instrument known as a Schuldschein through Landesbank Baden-Württemberg with several major savings banks acting as lenders. Due to the success of the test, Daimler has stated intentions to integrate blockchain technology into the full spectrum of its business activities.

The product of the partnership between Daimler AG and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, shows how various sectors interconnect where technology is concerned. The firm believes that this technology can disrupt the entire value chain including sales and marketing, customer relations, supplier management, financial services, and digital services.

WHY INVEST IN DAIMLER AG?

So far, the firm has been successful in the automotive industry. Its longevity and years of experience are a solid foundation for its adoption of Blockchain. Daimler has also been an active participant in the global technological innovation space, with an affinity for open source culture. The firm’s investors will get the chance to profit from a company that has already shown a significant history of past success and a willingness to innovate when necessary.

5. HIVE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES

This is currently one of the top blockchain stocks. It is also the only corporation on this list that has direct cryptocurrency and blockchain roots. It was founded in 2017 through a partnership between Genesis Mining and Foire Group. HIVE Blockchain was created with the purpose of accelerating the development of the blockchain industry. It is currently the largest blockchain infrastructure company and covers mining operations for up to 8 cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. Since its creation, the company has raised up to $115 million in funding.

Genesis Mining was founded by Marco Streng along with a team of early Bitcoin investors and is currently a global leader where mining is concerned. Mining involves a distributed network of computers that secure a Blockchain network by validating the transactions carried out on it.

So far, Genesis Mining has created several products and built their first large-scale Bitcoin mining farm in 2014. Two years later, the company established the largest Ethereum mining farm in the world. That same year, Genesis Mining launched the Logos Fund which caters to top-tier venture capitalists and has raised more than $100 million in assets to date. The company currently services more than 1 million customers and employs hundreds of staff globally.

HIVE Blockchain is working towards bridging the gap that currently exists between capital markets and Blockchain innovation. The company is achieving this through its multiple cryptocurrency mining farms. The farms, which have been placed at strategic locations, house equipment and miners who validate cryptocurrency transactions on various Blockchain networks, including Bitcoin.

They also recently announced plans to expand their mining operations and capabilities. To this effect, the company has secured an additional large-scale mining facility as well as $100 million in funding. HIVE Blockchain joined the Canadian TSX venture exchange in September 2017 and became the first publicly traded stock on a major stock exchange, which solely deals in cryptocurrency mining.

WHY INVEST IN HIVE BLOCKCHAIN?

Hive Blockchain leverages the experience of Genesis Mining Group to establish and maintain the infrastructure that users of Blockchain networks heavily benefit from. The company is currently at the forefront of global mining operations and plans to keep going. It’s plans for expansion, and it’s excellent use case are major reasons why this particular stock is one to watch.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Although the profits accrued from stock investment can be attractive, it is important to select stocks deliberately instead of rushing into it. Blockchain stocks are even tougher to predict because of the volatility of the industry and how quickly and drastically stocks can be affected by events.

However, when choosing a stock, long-term sustainability is an excellent place to start. Each of the stocks mentioned above have shown strong foundations in one sector or the other, coupled with experience and in some cases, competitive advantage. IBM has been around for a long time, just like Hitachi.

While the former has become a household name, it has seen revenue stagnation for the past few years. This means that apart from long-term sustainability, the potential to perform is something else to look out for. A good way to find out is by looking at the quality of the company’s newest products and how willing they are to innovate.

While ICOs seem like a quick way to get rich, some of them turn out to be scams. Investing in the stock of companies like Nasdaq may not bring overnight wealth, but the risk of loss is greatly minimized.

This Article was Originally Published On: www.mintdice.com

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The harvest of the most important news of the digital currency for the month of September

We are now witnessing the expiration of another month, I got some of the best developments important sector of the digital currency. It was September 2018 month an important part of many actors. This time, is not adopting the digital sector in the tech space, but also in charity. It was education and research at the forefront of the development of this area, they chose the non-profit organizations technology blockchain systems. While governments issued new draft laws for the definition of bitcoin. Here the most important events that brought the sector of the digital currency to the mainstream :

Retreat Google banned ads digital currencies

Came the most important events of this month by Google. Where fell the giant of social media for its decision to ban the ads digital currency decided that they will for trading the digital currency produced in the United States and Japan using the advertising spaces of public the beginning of the month of October.

The World Economic Forum and PWC believe the blockchain eco-friendly

Contrary to what is widely spread that the blockchain harm to the planet, found research led by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with PWC, that there are more than 65 the way this technology could save the environment. The report noted that if the use of technology to the blockchain properly, this can transform to find solutions to a better, more decentralized and more conservative on resources, which increases the strength of communities.

California offered a bill to give a legal definition of technologies related to digital

Month of September saw the efforts of the legislative bodies in California to provide legal definitions of the technology block and many smart registration e-mail and electronic signature. Where was the drafting of the bill by Assembly member Ian Calderon co-sponsored by Supreme Council member and Democrat Bob Hertzberg.

Sports teams use digital currencies for transactions charitable

The team used two pilot digital currencies for certain purposes for each of them. Where distributed team Los Angeles Dodgers, a baseball team American, Free Gifts digital currency to 40,000 likes in a game against the Padres. Came use digital currencies in the other group during the biking across country for charities, and Tour De Force. Where was the distance of the flight is 4,000 miles aims to cyclists, where to raise awareness about how to use the digital currency to charity. The group aims to collect a million dollars of the digital currency only aid centre for women in the Houston area, a non-profit organization working to end domestic and sexual violence.

Syrian refugees will receive the wages of their work via the blockchain

The United Nations announced that it would use the technology of the blockchain to determine the payment program for the women's business market. And this will be able to participants in the program receive cash from supermarkets supported the World Food Programme without the need for intermediaries such as the World Bank. Will the Syrian women of the United Nations are able to spend money directly.

Recognition of the term bitcoin in the dictionary of Scrabble

Added game letters Scrabble, one of the games most popular word in the world, the word “Bitcoin” to the dictionary of Merriam Webster and the New, between 300 words. According to NPR, this is the sixth edition of the dictionary of Scrabble since 1976, which is updated once or twice every decade.

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I said development led to the closure of one of the largest trading platforms digital currencies in India

Using the technology of the blockchain is in boom in India. In contrast, the attitude towards digital currencies is still negative and unfriendly. So much so that it forced the trading platform digital currencies such as Zebpay for closure.

Trading platforms in India Force on the closure

The situation remains on digital currencies in India low camera. The absence of appropriate regulations, as well as the negative attitude towards technical the blockchain to force trading platforms the digital currency to the termination of their services. As to the Reserve Bank of India does not allow other banks in the country to conduct any transactions linked to the trading of the digital currency. According to the code of Zebpay, this has led the employee to harm the business for the Zebpay, but it also “hindered” the ability of their customers to deal with commercial activities in any way useful. Since the product has not been able to find an alternative way to do their work, they are now forced to closure. In the meantime, still the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is not responsive with the problems of the trading platforms. Has increased this negative attitude toward digital currencies apart after rise in prices in late 2017. In fact, the bank has issued a ban on lenders in April 2018, and ordered them immediately stop all transactions involving digital currencies. After that, it was taking the decision the Reserve Bank of India to court over this, but the country's Supreme Court did not decide on this issue. It is likely that the process takes a lot of time, and trading platforms download this.

Technical the blockchain can flourish

The contrast of the put digital currencies, it seems that India still supports the technology of the blockchain itself. Has announced (NSE) (National Stock Exchange) in the country for the tests to cases of new use of this technology. According to make them public, they are planning to introduce electronic voting via the blockchain to various companies listed on their platform. The project will pilot linking the executive bodies of the company, in addition to the RTA through the block. Will be voting in digital form and the evaluation result on the basis of the portability audit different actions on the power and complexity of the operation as a whole. Have mentioned seen Banerjee of the stock exchange (NSE) that the immutable nature of the blockchain can ensure full transparency for every action taken by participants in the network. In addition, it will be possible to synchronize the counting process in real time thanks to the framework contract smart. They will ensure these features to create a new environment where they are improving the management of the companies commitment to significantly.

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The price of bitcoin up to a key support level

Found the price of bitcoin on Saturday, a major support area as near the price of 6,464 USD after closing at the same level in the previous day. Index has risen bitcoin by 2.5% from the lowest level during the day in an attempt to patch up. And yesterday, the price fell below the rising trend line of the war on the near-term target level of 6466 $ as the main downside not as expected, causing a corrective bounce. By the time he arrived in the market to the middle of the European trading session, bitcoin has recorded the highest level during the day towards 6617$. And now, it seems that bitcoin is heading toward a correction, with the aim of breaking the level of 6600 dollars.

Technical analysis of bitcoin versus the dollar

After proving the non-validity of the rising trend line on the near-term, the collapse towards 6464 dollars, was converted to the target downward bitcoin now to the line of rising with the Black color. And moving the Moving Average indicator to a hundred a day is a blue color too close to the moving average 200H, waiting for the intersection, which may confirm the rise towards the downtrend line of the upper with the red color. While the Relative Strength Index (RSI) to the reflux from the scope of the procurement 30-40 towards the more neutral. The Stochastics also up towards the threshold of overbought. And this point technical indicators to having a sense of neutral in the medium term, which means that there are potential opportunities between the level of support 6464 $ and resistance 6827$.

Download the Daily Bitcoin

We are now close to the level of temporary support near 6550 $ while looking forward to the area of the 6600 – 6620-dollar gift up to my potential. However, the reversal of the upward correction current is also possible.

We will consider the first occurrence of the decline towards the area of 6600 dollars in order to re-test the level of 6550 USD as the short-term. And effectively the short term, we will maintain a stop loss at a point just above the level of the entry to cut our losses. if the trend continues, the rising current. However, the procedure downward is possible, to put us in another topic this time about 6464$, which is a key support level. In this position, the stop-loss will be more than two points above the entry point. Here it is the continuation of patch Rising will allow us a deal on our long-term view about 6700$. Will determine the stop loss less than 4 points below the entry level, to avoid the risk.

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