When it comes to investments, it's all about risk control and profit maximization. Beating inflation only with low-risk assets is pretty difficult, especially in the ongoing situation of the pandemic. Derivatives, stocks, and other managed funds with higher risks have remained confined to only a few investors having knowledge and access to such markets. We do have a solution. Over the last few months, cryptocurrency has skyrocketed in popularity. The worldwide crypto market is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, giving investors equal access regardless of where they live or from where they belong. 

Bitcoin remains the most popular, and altcoins are also gaining a lot of popularity. The term altcoin became popular after millions of new Bitcoin competitors appeared on the market in 2017. As the concept of digital currency continues to pervade the public consciousness, altcoins are gaining some serious traction. The market today has thousands of various varieties of crypto coins. The cryptocurrency market is famously volatile, with price swings of up to 30% in a single day. Risk management, on the other hand, is possible and within everyone's reach. Choosing the optimal timing to invest in cryptocurrencies is crucial for individuals looking to get their feet in this domain. However, deciding which cryptocurrencies to invest in, or even whether you should, can be tricky. Risk management, on the other hand, is possible and within everyone's reach. It all depends on the individual's risk and appetite. 

Things To Know Before Investing In Cryptocurrency


Bitcoin and Ethereum are less risky than altcoins in general, but they are still volatile assets. Most cryptocurrency investors use a portfolio tracker to keep track of their holdings, especially if they have multiple altcoins. Dollar Cost Averaging is a tried and tested approach to managing entry points (DCA). This method reduces volatility risk because it prevents an entry at a single price point. 

When a specific target or objective is achieved, each investor should be judicious when it comes to gains and losses. If the market enters a bear market (a period of falling prices), consider re-entering to profit from future gains. Traders use technical analysis to forecast a coin's future trends based on its trading volumes, past performance, and other indications. These markers are more of a compass than the holy grail until the market reaches a certain maturity level. The main factor to consider while investing now is determining which cryptocurrencies will still exist in five years. 


Ethereum

Ethereum, a smart contract platform for building decentralised apps (DApps), was founded by Vitalik Buterin in 2013. To run your Solidity smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, you must pay a network gas fee in Ethereum's token, Ether. Ether, the platform's unique cryptographic token, is used to power Ethereum apps. It was founded in 2015 and is the second-largest digital currency by market value after Bitcoin; however, it is still a long way behind the dominating cryptocurrency. Ether is a means of transportation on the Ethereum network, and it is mostly used by developers who want to run apps on the platform, plus the investors who are looking to purchase other digital currencies with it.

Ethereum's goal is to establish a decentralized suite of financial goods that everyone, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or beliefs, can freely access. The blockchain is now employed by a significant portion of the DeFi business, thanks to Ethereum's early success. Ethereum is credited for establishing the foundations for what is now known as decentralised finance (DeFi). As Ethereum moves to version 2.0 over the next year, fees will drop dramatically, allowing a flood of new DApps to thrive. The Ether token (ETH) is the ticket to ride on the Ethereum blockchain, which is becoming more valuable day by day.

Chainlink (Link)

Smart contracts can use Chainlink's decentralised oracles to interface with external data, allowing them to be executed based on data that Ethereum does not have access to. Blockchains don't have the capacity to link to external apps in a secure way. Chainlink promises to extend smart contracts' power to the real world. Smart contracts on Ethereum may now react to API queries, global events, and other asset values. 

The potential of Chainlink appears to be boundless, and many of the top DeFi apps demand exorbitant amounts for the LINK token in order to use their network. The smart contracts filtered through Chainlink pay out insurance claims if values in the contract, such as share price, temperature, or rainfall, do not reach a specified threshold. When the application receives the necessary meteorological data, instant payments are made. 

Solana (SOL)

Solana is a smart contract blockchain with a thriving DeFi ecosystem and protocols worth over $10 billion. Solana exploded in 2021. SOL began the year with a 0.01 percent market share and by September had risen to become one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. SOL, Solana's native token, is necessary for blockchain interaction. While many financial applications benefit from the security of a heavily decentralized blockchain like Ethereum, blockchain gaming and other applications benefit from a high-throughput, low-fee chain like Solana. 

Solana and other smart contract blockchains have been dubbed as "Ethereum killers" by some. Solana has positioned itself as a leader in DeFi, an area in which users can create decentralised applications (DApps) that bypass traditional financial gatekeepers including clearinghouses, banks, brokers, and exchanges.

Cardano (ADA)

Cardano is an inevitable contender for the best cryptocurrency to buy, but not quite in the same league as Ethereum or Bitcoin. One of Ethereum's five initial founding members, Charles Hoskinson, was a co-founder of the project. After Bitcoin and Ethereum, it is the third-largest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization. After some differences with Ethereum's direction, he quit and later assisted in the creation of Cardano. Cardano intends to be the world's financial operating system by developing decentralised financial products similar to Ethereum and providing solutions for legal contract tracing, voter fraud, chain interoperability, and other issues. Cardano employs a proof-of-stake mechanism to motivate users to build new blocks, which gives it an advantage over many other cryptos.

Stellar Lumens (XLM)

Stellar is a decentralized blockchain network that connects financial institutions for large-scale transactions and enterprise solutions. The Stellar network connects these systems through a decentralized ledger with on-off ramps for each payment mechanism. This decentralized network that connects the world's numerous banking institutions, employs a variety of disparate payment mechanisms (SPEI, SEPA, ACH, etc.). The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into Stellar's closest competitor, Ripple. Stellar has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grasp the moment and become the world's largest payment network.