I've had intelligent people tell me that Bitcoin's run is over, and that the crypto market is facing a long decline - they compared the situation to what happened in 2013, and later. But then, what the market does depends on the people who're watching it, talking about it, panicking along with it like a stampeding herd - and there's lots more than earlier this year, and many more than in 2013... and they decide. On the other hand, most of them believe in illusory concepts like "free will," and therefore they keep making the wrong decisions ;)
If they all talk each other into a "we're so done!" scenario and run, then they'll be done and I suggest you change your funds into fiat now, and be done with it ! But I don't think you're done... I'm certainly not.
They all withdrew their money from Bitcoin, put it into Ripple and now the're astonished at what happened, they marvel at how good Ripple is and how bad Bitcoin has become, fascinatedly staring at the charts, waiting for it to (not) start climbing again because of the lack of volume that they are causing... once enough of us agree BTC has reached its bottom, it will certainly start rising again.
Humans believe in gods and markets, while they are actually the only "force" able to cause destruction, or construction. Decide yourselves, oh ye of the free will ! Am I saying, "think positive" ? Not me - and if I do, then that's only because I'm paranoid enough to see what might be coming if you think negative - so, the fuck think positive !
But seriously : it's going to work, and you know it, just watch what positive thinking achieved this year.
Crypto is good, we all know that - however the value of crypto is the amount of money people actually put INTO it, and keep in it, the market being a house of solid cards glued together by confidence and shaken by fear and greed...
The "New Ripple", Stellar Lumens (XML), is comparatively little known - initiated by the same people, it's decentralized (which Ripple is not), peer-to-peer... not a banker's coin (Ripple is obviously aimed at and being marketed to the banks) but one for private and business people, there's partnerships already blooming and the future looks great.
I would also watch Bitshares (BTS), which is a complete self-dependent exchange and trading platform where you can actually even trade Bitcoins, Gold and Apple stock as derivatives !
I could imagine a global crypto network consisting of Bitcoin, Stellar and Bitshares covering all the world's financial demands without a bank in sight, with Bitcoin as a mere value store for people who, in a long-forgotten past, used to buy gold...
But that's not going to happen easily, as the demand for confusion will likely be higher than that for functionality.
In a different vein, hope you'll survive the Truck-of -Peace, rocket and alcohol attacks of New Year's Eve, and that we can achieve something really constructive, high-powered ad utterly virtual in 2018. Like, earning a lot of money and saving the planet ;))
*Stellar Lumens can be acquired at Bitttrex, Biirfinex, Poloniex, Binance and Kraken
