Author Archives: Schmitt Trading Ltd

Shutterstock Co-Pierre Georg, University of Cape Town and Qobolwakhe Dube, University of Cape Town With the price of a bitcoin reaching record highs of more than $10,000, more and more ordinary people consider investing in the cryptocurrency. The recent price surge, however, comes with tremendous risks. Investors should be prepared for the possibility that theyContinue reading “Bitcoin is a highly speculative investment. Why caution is required”

Callum Halliday, The Conversation; Eleanor Harrison-Dengate, The Conversation; Jenni Henderson, The Conversation, and Josh Nicholas, The Conversation When Katherine Hunt’s dad asked her whether or not he should invest in Bitcoin, alarm bells rang, first she thought “he’s a musician”. Hunt is a lecturer in accounting at the Griffith Business School, and as someone whoContinue reading “What happened to the price of Bitcoin? The truth behind big bubbles and crashes”

Jason Potts, RMIT University Bitcoin may be the most famous example of a blockchain in use, but it is actually a rather unimaginative way to use it. The blockchain is finally starting to fulfil its promise as a game-changing technology, a kind of infrastructure for record-keeping. To facilitate movement of value (such as money) andContinue reading “Bitcoin may be reaching new heights, but the ASX shows the blockchain is reinventing business”

Is Bitcoin a bubble? Marco Verch/flickr, CC BY-SA Alicia (Lucy) Cameron, CSIRO and Kelly Trinh, CSIRO Bitcoin is a “speculative mania” according to the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. But it’s not so easy to say that Bitcoin is a bubble – we don’t know how to value it. Recent price rises (closeContinue reading “A bubble? We don’t even know how to value Bitcoin”

It’s all legal tender. Steven Puetzer/The Image Bank via Getty Images Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University On Sept. 7, 2021, El Salvador will become the first country to make bitcoin legal tender. The government even went a step further in promoting the cryptocurrency’s use by giving US$30 in free bitcoins to citizens who sign upContinue reading “Bitcoin will soon be ‘legal tender’ in El Salvador – here’s what that means”

Government agencies are increasingly using facial recognition technology, including through security cameras like this one being installed on the Lincoln Memorial in 2019. Mark Wilson/Getty Images James Hendler, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Despite growing opposition, the U.S. government is on track to increase its use of controversial facial recognition technology. The U.S. Government Accountability Office releasedContinue reading “Feds are increasing use of facial recognition systems – despite calls for a moratorium”

Bitcoin is gaining popularity with retailers, but is it money? Alistair/Flickr, CC BY-SA David Glance, The University of Western Australia Professor David Yermack of the Stern School of Business at New York University is used to being heckled when he gives talks about Bitcoin. After all, most of his work has involved pointing out allContinue reading “In Conversation with Bitcoin expert and NYU Professor David Yermack”

Too tangible. (Keyrings, not currency) BTC Keychain, CC BY Sam Dallyn, University of Manchester A turbulent last few months have seen numerous pieces announcing the end of Bitcoin, its imminent collapse, or the bursting of the bubble. Commentators are missing the point: the key to Bitcoin’s surprising resilience lies outside of traditional economic thinking. MarkContinue reading “Bitcoin’s strength lies in its libertarian status”

The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California is closing and the state has committed to replacing it with greenhouse-free sources of electricity. Doc Searls, CC BY-NC-SA Eric Daniel Fournier, University of California, Los Angeles and Alex Ricklefs, University of California, Los Angeles Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) recently started the process of shutting downContinue reading “As nuclear power plants close, states need to bet big on energy storage”