As part of the overall quality flight, crypto investors will continue to focus on Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) in 2023. Crypto expert Dominic Basulto gives a head-to-head comparison of the pros and cons.
Bitcoin and Ethereum together make up 60% of the market
The crypto market is volatile, as everyone knows. That said, Bitcoin and Ethereum are the two best options for crypto traders looking for relative security. Bitcoin and Ethereum have the longest history. They also have a proven ability and deep liquidity to handle market cycles. Together, these two cryptocurrencies account for around 60% of the total crypto market cap.
And as Coinbase Global points out in its new 2023 Crypto Market Outlook Report, the situation will likely stay the same for next year. According to Coinbase, investors will continue to flock to Bitcoin and Ethereum in 2023 as part of an overall flight to quality during a challenging macroeconomic period. If you still have to choose, which one is better for your portfolio?
Bitcoin rating
The primary attraction for investing in Bitcoin is, of course, the potential for astonishing long-term portfolio returns. In the period from 2011 to 2021, Bitcoin was the best performing asset in the entire world. Accordingly, it provided an annual return of 230%. That dwarfed even the yields of risky, fast-growing tech stocks by a factor of 10. Past returns are by no means a guarantee of future returns. We saw this clearly in 2022. That kind of track record, however, is certainly enticing. In two of these years, Bitcoin has performed really badly (down 58% in 2014 and 73% in 2018). This gives me hope that it can get through a dreadful 2022, when Bitcoin drops by about 65%.
From a long-term perspective, Bitcoin is also attractive as a form of online payment. Amid all the talk about a ‘cashless society’ and the introduction of new central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) on a global basis, the demand for digital currencies is clearly growing. And of all the major cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin has the best chance to profit from this secular trend. Currently, the number of ways to pay with Bitcoin is limited. However, some financial experts predict that soon customers will pay for everything online with Bitcoin. Once that happens, Bitcoin will become even more valuable.
Ethereum assessment
Ethereum looks equally attractive based on future growth projections. Currently, the Ethereum Blockchain acts as the base layer for rapid innovations taking place in areas such as smart contracts, decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, metaverse, Web3, and Non Fungible Tokens (NFT). This has led to the creation of a very vibrant ecosystem for Ethereum users and developers. Some of the most valuable cryptocurrencies are, in fact, tokens created on top of the Ethereum Blockchain.
It is also useful to look at it from a portfolio diversification perspective. This growth in many different areas of the blockchain and crypto space provides a certain measure of security and much-needed diversification. Yes, the NFT market is crashing right now. But the gaming and metaverse segment is poised to rise. Investing in cryptos is always risky. However, there is less risk as Ethereum is very well diversified.
The risk, however, is that Ethereum has become such a leader in the blockchain space that other competitors are constantly emerging to challenge it. Rival Tier-1 Blockchains such as Solana and Avalanche are still referred to as potential ‘Ethereum killers’. Because they have high speeds, low transaction fees and superior scalability. As you follow on Kriptokoin.com, Ethereum successfully transitioned to a proof-of-stake Blockchain this year with Merge. This will help alleviate some of the concerns. Merge will make Ethereum faster, more scalable, more resilient to network disruptions. It will also make your competitive ditch more capable of defending.
Bitcoin or Ethereum?
Choosing between Bitcoin and Ethereum might seem like choosing between two favorite kids. But if I had to choose, I would choose Bitcoin. In part, this has to do with the historical returns Bitcoin has provided over time. Over its entire lifetime, Bitcoin has delivered an extraordinary 16,531.8% return to investors. And it has survived at least five crypto bear market cycles that have skyrocketed each time.
In my opinion, Bitcoin has one overlooked advantage over Ethereum: regulatory clarity. There is tremendous speculation about the regulatory outlook for crypto right now. However, (especially after the FTX crash), Bitcoin is in a much better position than Ethereum to weather the storm. For example, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has already stated that Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, not a security. In response, he suggested that Ethereum could now fit the definition of a security.
However, either way, you really can’t go wrong with Bitcoin or Ethereum. As Coinbase noted in its 2023 crypto market outlook report, both have attractive market liquidity, sustainable tokenomics, and mature ecosystems. This will continue to make both attractive investment targets for investors seeking quality amid macroeconomic uncertainty.
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