There is an old phrase in economics - "money is what money buys".
As a proposition this holds true for all currencies - cryptocurrencies are just a means of exchange.
But they are fundamentally differentiated from traditional currencies. the value of most traditional currencies have some connection to a fundamental reality - imports, exports, taxation policies, government policies, balance of payments, relative labour costs, interest rates, inflation etc etc.
This does not means the value of a currency is inviolable - but these constraints add stability.
Cryptocurrencies have no hard links. They are simply a product of supply and demand. There is no accountable central bank or government. It is a gamble, a confidence trick.
Invest at your peril - if the value can double in a month it can halve in a month. And I suspect that governments the world over do not like them or know how to deal witth them - eg: how are bitcoin profits taxed.
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