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Chapter 1: Blockchain, Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Defined
2008 was a troubled time. The Occupy Wall Street movement was at its strongest. Accusations of misusing clients’ money, misleading customers and charging hefty fees to do so were being leveled at major banks and other financial institutions. Pioneers of the new age of crypto currency saw a chance to put the seller in charge of his own money. By cutting out the middleman, they saw a way to make all transactions more transparent and eliminate interest fees and create a corruption free environment for all sellers.
By creating decentralized system two entities can trade directly with each other and know exactly what is happening with their funds.
By examining the properties of bitcoin, we can begin to understand how innovative this new currency really is. Prior to 2008, the idea of an alternative currency was unheard of, since its original concept, bitcoin has progressed at a pace that is impressive to say the least.
- Secure: All funds are locked securely in a cryptography system that can only be accessed by a public key. The length of this number coupled with strong cryptography means that the chance of hacking or duplication is nonexistent. Your bitcoin address is as secure as Area 51!
- Irreversible: Nobody, and I mean nobody, can reverse a transaction. Once confirmed there is no way back. If you send money and confirm the transaction, then it has been paid and there is no reversing the process. Unfortunately, if you have sent funds to a source that is not completely legitimate, there is no safety net. As with other purchases, it is recommended that all transactions are examined thoroughly.
- Global and speedy: Due to the nature of the processing of bitcoins your actual physical location and that of the recipient are irrelevant. All trades are carried out by a network of computers and are therefore confirmed in minutes.
- Anonymous: Bitcoins are connected to accounts and addresses not people. Trades are conducted between accounts that are symbolized purely by chains of characters that are up to 30 symbols long. No identities are attached to these chains so while it is possible to follow the flow of the transaction, it is completely free from attachment to details of the parties involved.
- Restriction free: Who do you need to ask for permission to use bitcoin? No one at all! It is software that can be used for free by anyone anywhere. The lack of restriction and hierarchy is one of the properties of the new crypto currencies that appeals the most. By creating a new currency that is available to a set of people who may not have been allowed access to standard methods of banking and trading, it is paving the way for huge changes in society.
Bitcoin is free from government interference and is completely transparent. International trades can take place without involving exchange rates and the charges that accompanies them. The mathematical framework that supports the crypto currency system is unaffected by political pressure and human error. It is hard to see how the future cannot be changed by the emergence of this new era of banking and trading and it has been said that bitcoin is to banks what email was to the postal industry.
Blockchain is the technology behind bitcoin and is being hailed as one of the greatest innovations of modern times. The technology allows both parties in a transaction to connect directly and removes the need for a third party.
The customer wishes to send money to the supplier, this is the transaction and details of the trade are now represented online in the form of a block.
- The block is now broadcast to all parties in the network. Once approved the transaction is deemed valid.
- The block that was created to represent this trade is now added to the chain and is used to record a permanent and transparent record.
- The money agreed upon now moves from customer to supplier.
Blockchain is not only the technology that can allow the march forward of crypto currency, but it is also holds the potential to transform business, government and society as a whole. Intrigued?? Let’s examine how this new technological genie can affect human affairs for the better.
We are all aware of the Internet and how it has improved communication and collaboration. However it has done little to change how we conduct business. Intermediaries are needed to govern how we conduct transactions and exchanges of value. This generates fees, a fact we have all accepted in the past and paid, albeit grudgingly. However, the emergence of blockchain that allows data trading between billions of devices without a third-party involvement.
The Internet of everything is a term that is being used more freely as the digital age marches on but the emergence of blockchain means that we can create a ledger of everything! Imagine every smart device in use connecting and sharing information and trading freely with each other.
Every transaction and exchange of data will be recorded, indelibly and transparently. By acting as a ledger of all accounts it becomes the worlds database, societies notary and clearing house. The protocol of blockchain is what establishes the rules. Trust is hard coded into the platform that governs blockchain and ensues the integrity of all the data that is traded amongst the billions of devices that will use it.
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Chapter 2: How Value is Traded and the Risks Involved
Bitcoin trading is a new and highly exciting opportunity for both professionals and beginners. It is a new market, prone to highly fragmented and massive spreads. Cryptocurrency is appealing to new investors because its short history is littered with peaks and troughs.
Every time bitcoin has a “bubble “and increases in value, the media attention is such that interest is spiked and the value increases even more. Trading bitcoin is simple and global and provides an opportunity for investing to a whole new class of investors and speculators.
Before we explore how to trade bitcoin we must first understand why it appeals to people. Below are a few points about crypto currency trading that make it exciting and unique.
● Bitcoin trades 24/7
Standard stock market...
