I would argue that most of the perceived value right now is speculative. The actual benefits over using USD in transactions is marginal, for most use cases. IM

I would argue that most of the perceived value right now is speculative. The actual benefits over using USD in transactions is marginal, for most use cases. IMO, the speculation comes from the enormous potential of the idea. What is something you can do with an electronic currency, not tied to a single government, which has a great deal of value to the average person? I don't know the answer to that question, but I see most altcoins as people trying to crack this nut. It seems likely to me that someone will find a use, partly just because the cost of attempting it is quite low.