Bitcoin is looked at as the Gold of Cryptocurrencies and Ethereum as Silver of Cryptocurrencies.
Cryptocurrencies are purely speculative investments unless one or more of them become a viable option for everyday commerce. If that happens, the volatility would greatly be reduced.
Over the last 5 years, Bitcoin and Ethereum have NOT been buy and hold investments. They have gone up and down with the ability to make money if an investor buys and sells at the right time.
If you invested in Intel a year ago, for example, you would be better off with Intel vs. buying Bitcoin or Ethereum at that time and holding.
If someone invested in Palantir at the beginning of 2023, they could have made 30X their money if they sold in October of 2025. Bitcoin does not come close to have that income potential anymore. Ethereum may be able to make someone 10X or more depending on when they buy. It is all about timing. They already have vastly multiplied.
The same can be said of a lot of penny stocks and their income potential but it is a matter of finding the right stocks. For every Intel and Palantir, there are plenty of stocks that never ascend.
There are so many stocks that are way undervalued right now, regardless of their performance or earnings announcements. Bitcoin and Ethereum are down for the year and arguably undervalued based their "hyped" value.
People are all looking for the "Safe Haven". At the onset of the Pandemic, even municipal bonds fell over 8% to 9%. That is a huge amount considering they fluctuate an average of 1.5% to 2% per year. Gold was the least hit at the onset of the Pandemic but gold has already gone up a lot since then.
Most financial planners suggest to buy the S&P 500, Nasdaq or various ETF's / Mutual Funds and hold for 10+ years. There is no guarantee the markets will have the same performance over the next 10 years.
People try to substantiate the value of cryptocurrencies by their transaction speed and other qualities. There are a limited amount of Bitcoin and unlimited amount of Ethereum.
None of the differences matter, if the cryptocurrencies are not a legitimate and accepted form of payment like American Express was years ago. Amex was only accepted at various stores, restaurants, etc. Cryptocurrencies are purely speculative and have levels of popularity based on the differences between them.
If Bitcoin, Ethereum or other Cryptocurrencies are accepted in the marketplace, their values will not skyrocket. They will probably go down.
With the War in Iran and other economical factors causing the markets to be volatile, investing a sizable amount of money in anything is risky until the Strait of Hormuz situation is resolved.
With the new Fed Chair taking over in mid-May, it is highly likely interest rate cuts are coming in June or possibly earlier. If that happens, the stock market, gold/silver and cryptocurrencies should go up. No guarantee of anything. The stock market has not fluctuated as it has in past decades after various announcements.
President Trump has an incentive to lower oil prices and have stocks, gold/silver and cryptocurriencies go up in value. He has a war on his hands, there are many that want him to be on trial for war crimes and others that probably want him impeached.
In the process of everything that is going on, all of us are directly effected.
EVERYONE has an opinion. Ultimately, each person needs to use discretion when making investment decisions.
Here is an article explaining the background and differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum.
www.vaneck.com/us/en/blogs/digital-assets/bitcoin-vs-ethereum
Good luck with whatever decisions you all make.
