the problem is it's not real, there's nothing backing it, and fraud / laundering is so easy

is that what you believe, that people with near infinite money are only investing in index funds and treasury bonds? who told you that?

if I steal your bitcoins, I don't have to sell them.

I can just delete them

true, but if I steal your gold coins I could just melt them

and dump it down a storm drain

yes but gold is much harder to steal

is it?

there's arguments for and against that

given it is a physical thing and not an easily laundered / dirty currency.

NOT MANY MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO SHORT BTC

if the bitcoin you are buying has ever touched an illegal transaction

you are totally fucked

same with dollars

given that there is a record of the bitcoin attached to the bitcoin....

PROBLEM: NOT KNOWING WHEN THE IRRATIONAL HYPE WILL DIE DOWN PROPELLING SOYCOIN

despite your list of reasons bitcoin should have a value of $0/coin, it has current value of $17,000/coin. Obviously there is something you do not know, or else you would be rich right now. The test - your personal test - is to see if you will admit that to yourself or reassure yourself with your own misunderstandings

people are stupid

yes they are, so why doesn't your financial strategy factor for that?

BITCOIN IS DRIVEN BY STRAIGHT BEHAVORIAL ECONOMICS. LITTLE ELSE.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE THIS?

they won't let you cash out at a fast enough rate from each exchange to make money

YES @Death Strike's Bat MAKING IT ILLIQUID

from short term investments.

so?

they don't have the liquid

and they physically can't

real estate is illiquid, yet people love to invest in it

given the extrmeely slow transaction time

you can sell real estate instnatly

PLEASE. REAL ESTATE IS HARDLY AS VOLATILE.

NOT AN APT COMPARISON.

volatility and liquidity are two different things

real estate is physical and liquid

people wil always buy it

and sell it

BITCOIN IS AS VOLATILE AS SOME SLUTTY SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY.

convince your average wealth management guy to buy bitcoin

he will tell you to fuck off

even if it were a couple of bucks

THEY MATTER WHEN YOU CAN'T LIQUIDATE A POSITION BEFORE YOUR STRATEGY IS COMPROMISED BY VOLATILITY.