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How does speculation make something a "multi-level marketing scheme"?

• TACIXAT 9y ago
  First, I should clear up some terms. I say speculation as a contrast to investing. Investing is when you have an understanding of something underlying value (or expected value) based on some financial fact (e.g. past profits). Speculation is when you purchase something and hope for it to go up in value. I see cryptocurrency prices largely driven by speculation. There is no underlying value that justifies the price. This means that the people purchasing cryptocurrencies today are relying on someone else purchasing it at a higher price tomorrow in order to make a profit. I might have used the term MLM incorrectly when what I meant was pyramid scheme.
  • sbenitoj 9y ago
    Isn't it possible that people are using cryptocurrencies as an alternative to restrictive fiat currencies and not just for speculative purposes? (Obviously people are also using them for speculation, but that doesn't mean that's the ONLY current use case.)
  • cgmg 9y ago
    > I might have used the term MLM incorrectly when what I meant was pyramid scheme. You are now using the term 'pyramid scheme' incorrectly. Out of curiosity, do you consider other objects of speculation, including stocks, bonds, futures, derivatives, commodities and real estate, to be 'pyramid schemes'?