Watch this space

The one thing we can all agree on in the crypto space is the notion of it being predictably unpredictable. All the forecasting charts in the world do not change that simple fact, educated guessing is essentially what the vast majority of us are doing.

Certain developments lead to such a notion:

• Crackdowns on ICO's across the globe
• ICO scams, nearly 50% of 2017 ICOs have already failed (incredible statistic)
• Hacking of exchanges
• Illegal mining, sometimes sponsored by nefarious governments
• threats of reform and regulation
• good old fashioned pump & dumps

The above are but a fraction of the coal that fuels the fire of volatility within the market.

The Upside - The Purge & Mass Adoption

There are coins out there that actually have a story to tell, a contribution to make. Coins like:

• Litecoin: today sees the anticipated release of LitePay, a border-less payments network that effectively sees Litecoin stored onto a Visa card and used as a form of payment. Litecoin's quick transaction times and low fees makes this a very interesting prospect.
• Monero: A somewhat controversial coin, in that it is a favorite of the dark web and black market. This, conversley, also goes a long way to anchoring it's suitability. Just look at it's price, Monero is consistent if anything. Monero is a throw back to the early days of crypto, private, non-regulated, even libertarian in principle.
• Steem: need I say more?
• Bitcoin: Ok this is the coin that has to be mentioned when talking about crypto, much like mentioning Neil Young when discussing 90's alternative. The great store of value, or at least once upon a time. It's been a rocky road of late for Bitcoin, however, the market relies on Bitcoin's success for that of it's own, one is anchored to the other. I suspect it will not always be this way, but for now...

*Of course there are many more coins worth a mention, but I have your attention only for so long, so feel free to add in the comments any coins you feel worthy of a mention.

Anyone with a passing interest could also look at: Factum (touted by a lot of people at the moment, interesting concept), Ripple (boo hiss etc...), Cardano, Lisk (solid solid coin, you really can't go wrong, excellent price at the minute) etc etc etc

My thoughts are that 2018 will see great change in the market, a lot of it thrust upon by third parties. The coins & tokens who have started the year will not all make it to the end, simple tightening of regulations alone will see to that, it is the coins that come out the other-side that will attain the street cred.

The tipping point for mass adoption has yet to take place. Yes there is a lot more interest in crypto land and yes the money now entering the market is from more traditional investment pools, but the rising of the tide has only begun. I firmly believe that although Bitcoin blazed the trail as we know it to be today, it will not be the coin in years to come that people look to. Let me also say, this is not a bad thing, nor a slight against Bitcoin, without whom we would not be here talking.

More this is an acknowledgment of the life span of such breakthrough concepts, one need only look to recent examples of disrupters to lay such a claim. For instance, we "Google" something now when searching the web, Google was not the first search engine of the web, however it now lays claim its dominance, similar to that of Social Media, Facebook did not introduce the concept to the masses, but certainly now at least determines the pace of this sector. Bitcoin has allowed for others to pick up the pace, refine the technology and ultimately move it to the next level, for now however, with a 39% stake in the market, she has a say and is going nowhere.

To me, only the coins with a story are the ones to invest in, coins that offer value

Incredibly interesting times ahead, the winter storms have ensured a very bumpy introduction to 2018, here's hoping that the calm of Spring is just ahead and see's the market gather momentum.

Which horse are you betting on?