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What's the point of market cap here? It's just (current price)*(number of bitcoins), so if some speculators drive the price up, even if there are low volumes on

What's the point of market cap here? It's just (current price)*(number of bitcoins), so if some speculators drive the price up, even if there are low volumes on the exchanges, the market cap will rise by a corresponding percentage. Hypothetical example: If there is a single trade at say twice the current price, the market cap will double. It absolutely does not represent how much adoption Bitcoin has. I would like to see how much "actual" usage there is to Bitcoin as a currency (i.e., sending bitcoin to another person in exchange for goods or services). You seem to believe it's a lot; I don't believe that.

fthssht 9y ago
My point only is that the total value is relatively very high and its price would be as difficult for one individual to move around as a large cap stock. Your hypothetical 1 trade a day isn't reality. Click this link and look at the depth chart. You would need millions of dollars to move the price from 6925 to 6950. https://www.gdax.com/trade/BTC-USD https://www.gdax.com/trade/BTC-USD I don't think its used a lot as a currency now. I think there is a lot of investment in it based on the belief that it will be used as a currency in the future or that it can act as a store of wealth.
- nosuchthing 9y ago
  You would need millions of dollars to move the price from 6925 to 6950. That's not entirely true, the operators of Bitfinex, tether, or any of the early adopters who control a major percentage of BTC could push the market with the amount of influence on the ecosystem they control. Traders and bots will attempt to arbitrage other exchanges which have unverifiable volume and possibly large amounts of counterfeit capital.
- 21 9y ago
  That's not how it works. Most of that liquidity it's anchored at a specific distance away from the price. When the price moves up/down, that liquidity will move with it. Thus you need much less to move the market, because the liquidity will get out of your way.

fthssht 9y ago

My point only is that the total value is relatively very high and its price would be as difficult for one individual to move around as a large cap stock. Your hypothetical 1 trade a day isn't reality. Click this link and look at the depth chart. You would need millions of dollars to move the price from 6925 to 6950. https://www.gdax.com/trade/BTC-USD https://www.gdax.com/trade/BTC-USD I don't think its used a lot as a currency now. I think there is a lot of investment in it based on the belief that it will be used as a currency in the future or that it can act as a store of wealth.

nosuchthing 9y ago
You would need millions of dollars to move the price from 6925 to 6950. That's not entirely true, the operators of Bitfinex, tether, or any of the early adopters who control a major percentage of BTC could push the market with the amount of influence on the ecosystem they control. Traders and bots will attempt to arbitrage other exchanges which have unverifiable volume and possibly large amounts of counterfeit capital.
21 9y ago
That's not how it works. Most of that liquidity it's anchored at a specific distance away from the price. When the price moves up/down, that liquidity will move with it. Thus you need much less to move the market, because the liquidity will get out of your way.