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IMHO the problem with crypto is the very thing that its proponents cite as one of its key benefits, its decentralised nature. We are told that crypto is suppos
by traceroute66 5y ago
IMHO the problem with crypto is the very thing that its proponents cite as one of its key benefits, its decentralised nature.
We are told that crypto is supposedly a way to "stick it to the man", to fight those "evil banks/governments".
The trouble is that unlike fiat currency, there is no fundamental means of valuation. Crypto is worth what its worth on the day based largely or exclusively on entirely non-economic valuation, which is why its so incredibly volatile.
The trouble is that you cannot escape the truth that the world is based on trade. People make goods, people supply services and other people buy goods and buy services. People also buy and sell essential commodities. This happens both domestically and cross-border.
The value of fiat currency is ultimately tied to the economics of global, and therefore provides an objective means to value said currencies, both themselves and relative to other currencies.
You don't get that with crypto.
Well, you could argue that you do to a limited extent, but that limited extent would only make crypto comparible to emerging world fiat currency of some tiny country.... high-frequency boom and bust cycles, high volatility, potential for episodes of illiquidity etc.
- eldenwrong 5y ago
- OGWhales 5y agoYou should elaborate after making such a claim, otherwise your comment will be dismissed as meaningless.
- the_only_law 5y agoThis has sadly become a more common debate strategy on HN recently.
- eldenwrong 5y agoHe contradicts himself multiple times and has an extremely shallow understanding of what money is/should be People have been crying for more than 10 years that Bitcoin is bad because "volatility". You can't help people not wanting to spend a few hours learning the basics
- the_only_law 5y ago> We are told that crypto is supposedly a way to "stick it to the man", to fight those "evil banks/governments". The supposed “decentralized” revolution sounds about as likely as some kid who just read Marx leading a revolution. I think there’s a fine line between decentralized and deorganized.
- mr_spothawk 5y ago> a fine line between decentralized and deorganized i guess that line is the communication protocol?
- adolph 5y ago> make crypto comparible to emerging world fiat currency of some tiny country This is my basic viewpoint regarding bitcoin et al. The significance difference is that bitcoin and similar are not territorial countries but free associations of people under particular conditions. This is where it gets interesting.
- mr_spothawk 5y ago> fundamental means of valuation. Can you expound on the fundamental means of valuation for Fiat currency? It's my understanding that there is no fiat currency with any fundamental backing. I was pretty sure Khadaffi was killed for promoting an African currency backed by gold, in lieu of the USD hegemony. > The value of fiat currency is ultimately tied to the economics of global, and therefore provides an objective means to value said currencies, both themselves and relative to other currencies. This ^^ is not fundamental... this is relative.
- djur 5y agoYou can use it to pay taxes, which means you can live, work, and do business in a particular country.
- mr_spothawk 5y agoDo i understand correctly, then, that your point is: "The fundamental value of fiat currency is its capacity to pay taxes to a regional entity?"
- djur 5y agoThe fundamental value of fiat currency is that it is effectively a share of the productivity of a particular economy. The underlying driver of that value is that debts are denominated in and payable with the currency, and the underlying driver of that is that the government levies taxes.
- MrMan 5y agohttps://scholar.harvard.edu/files/haidar/files/jih-currency_valuation_and_ppp-published_version-2011_1.pdf https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/haidar/files/jih-currency_... just one take, but there are many ways to approach a fundamental valuation of a currency.