Thoughts on Bitcoin
I've been watching bitcoin since $30, bought at $80, and sold last night.  I think that Stefan Molyneux (or however you spell it) is right on when he says that bitcoin is "a revolutionary protocol for information synchronization."  However, it is by no means unique, and as we've seen, anyone can start their own bitcoin-type cryptocurrency.  Apparently, the Canadian government is working on their own, and I don't think it will be long before other central banks begin to follow suit by adapting the bitcoin protocol for their own purposes and presumably solving some of its myriad problems in the process.  And of course, when given the choice between a new-and-improved cryptocurrency that's guaranteed by a central bank and the old one that's guaranteed by nothing, Joe Blow is going to pick the former. Bitcoin is an amazing idea and I do believe that the idea behind it it will revolutionize transactions, but it won't be alone for long, and once the improved versions begin showing up, those who've held on to bitcoin because it's an amazing idea (it is) without realizing that bitcoin itself has only a very thin economic moat are probably going to have a bad day.<p>I've been trading and investing stocks for about 7 years now, and I think I've learned a thing or two in that time, but one of the most important things I've learned is that if holding onto something is making me uncomfortable, it's time to sell.  Holding my bitcoin was making me uncomfortable as of a couple of days ago, so I sold.  On the other hand, I've also learned that if everyone is expecting something to do one thing, it usually does the opposite, and it seems that pretty much everyone agrees that bitcoin is in a bubble.  If it does crash, I'll get back in, but if it doesn't, I won't regret selling.  I've been on the emotional rollercoaster of watching relatively large sums of money invested in a volatile asset fluctuate wildly, and I'd rather not go through that again.  Just my two cents.