GOING DOWN
  • 1:30 ET, Jan 11 2022
  • Updated: 1:30 ET, Jan 11 2022

BITCOIN’s massive crash saw it drop below $40,000, as fears grow it could hit the dreaded “death cross” indicator.

Bitcoin has dropped steeply over the last seven days, with more than 14 percent being wiped off its price.

As a result, investors became worried about the “death cross” — a bearish indicator charting when the 50-day moving average dips below the 200-day moving average, according to CoinDesk.

However, as of 10:15am ET on Monday, Bitcoin had recovered slightly and was back over $40,000, according to CoinBase.

Over the last seven days, Shiba Inu and Ethereum have also struggled.

As of 10:15am ET Monday, Shiba Inu was down 20 percent over the last week, while Ethereum was down 21 percent, both according to CoinBase.

Read our cryptocurrency live blog for the latest news and updates…

  • Risks of investing in cryptocurrencies

    Investing in cryptocurrencies means taking on a number of different risks.

    The first is Consumer protection.

    Some investments advertising high returns based on cryptoassets may not be subject to regulation beyond anti-money laundering requirements.

  • How to check for blockchain scams

    Cryptocurrencies operate on blockchain networks.

    Scammers often claim their blockchain is “in development” or “about to be released,” but all legitimate cryptos will have an accompanying website to verify the currency.

    Users can type the name of the crypto into any search engine with the phrase “blockchain explorer” or “blockchain scan” to find the connected blockchain, if it even exists.

  • What is a blockchain?

    A blockchain is where encrypted data can be transferred securely, making it nearly impossible to duplicate or counterfeit.

    This ledger is the foundation of any cryptocurrency transaction.

    The cryptocurrency allows people to trade currency or assets digitally outside of any government or bank.

  • What is fiat?

    If you’ve ever seen the word fiat used in the cryptocurrency world, know that it was not in relation to the car brand.

    Fiat is a term used to refer to government-issued currency.

    Cryptocurrency, or virtual money like Bitcoin, is not backed by governments or standards typically associated with fiat, which is why investors warn of crypto’s volatility.

  • More than 50 countries place bans

    51 countries have placed bans on cryptocurrencies, according to a report from the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress.

    To date, nine countries have a total ban, and 42 have an implicit ban. The implicit ban forbids financial institutions from using crypto.

    The number of countries with bans has more than doubled since research first came out in 2018, according to Markets Insider.

  • The major meme coins

    The surge of the meme coins this year all started with Dogecoin.

    That was then followed by Shiba Inu, which both feature the same dog breed in their logos.

    The image became a popular internet meme called doge, and it features the dog surrounded by text in the comic sans font with words like “much wow.”

    Both Shiba and Dogecoin have been popular dog meme coins in the past year.

  • What are meme coins?

    meme coin typically gains off a social media or an internet-based joke.

    It all started with GameStop and AMC earlier this year, when a Reddit mob trolled short-sellers by driving up the prices of those stocks.

    The memes then spread over to cryptocurrencies – and there are now a few major ones today.

  • DogeZilla: The next meme coin

    A newly-launched cryptocurrency, DogeZilla, exploded out of the gate.

    Within its first eight days of existence, DogeZilla was said to have grown into a super microcap of $500million from just $50,000. 

    Billionaire Elon Musk also got involved with DogeZilla by posting a tweet.

    Replying to a tweet about an underwater mud volcano, he wrote: “Cover story for Godzilla obv.”

  • What is Dogezilla?

    Founded by someone with the alias of 9ZEROES, DogeZilla models itself as a community-based project. 

    DogeZilla claims it aims to make the crypto space safer for users.

    According to DogeZilla’s whitepaper, it has a vault that verifies crypto launches.

    It says: “Obviously, it is not a 100% fool-proof method because that simply doesn’t exist in this space, but reducing risk to the highest degree is the purpose of Vault.”

    Moreover, users can gather DogeZilla tokens by holding.

    Specifically, “5% Holder Rewards are dispersed to all token holders relative to their holding percentages,” DogeZilla claims. 

    For upcoming projects, DogeZilla is planning to launch an NFTs Invasion Series in early 2022. 

    Its logo features an amused dog in what appears to be a dinosaur costume. 

  • Play-to-earn gaming, part two

    The new play-to-earn gaming model that rewards gamers with cryptocurrency for playing isn’t technically free.

    Gamers could have to spend $1,000 or more in order to start earning in the Axie Infinity universe, according to Forbes.

    The popular platform for play-to-earn gaming requires beginners to have three “Axies,” which are available for purchase on the game’s Marketplace Dashboard.

    Participants can then earn cryptocurrency for selling potions, breeding rare Axies, and playing various games.

  • What is play-to-earn gaming?

    A unique model called play-to-earn gaming is driving non-fungible token (NFT) and cryptocurrency growth, Forbes reported.

    Axie Infinity is the most popular platform for play-to-earn gaming at the moment.

    It allows users to build a collection of “Axies” that players can use across its universe of games.

    The company then uses Blockchain to reward players for gaming, according to Forbes.

    Any digital assets earned by participants can be sold on the platform or traded outside Axie Infinity’s universe.

  • Crypto losses and tax benefits

    Investors can claim deductions on cryptocurrency losses that can lessen tax liabilities or result in a refund, according to Coindesk.

    Any losses can be used to offset capital gains, and if you have no gains, you can claim a deduction.

    The Coindesk article explains the IRS code and other ways to put cryptocurrency losses to work.

  • Gifting NFTs and digital assets, part two

    Some young investors looked forward to gifting friends their first digital assets last year.

    A San Francisco-based 26-year-old told CNBC that she plans to gift close friends and family digital assets like Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domains and NFTs.

    A domain for the Ethereum blockchain represents an investor’s cryptocurrency address, appearing like “YourName.eth”.

    It’s personalized rather than the random string of letters and numbers that typically signifies a user’s wallet.

  • Gifting NFTs and other digital assets

    Young investors told CNBC that they planned to gift cryptocurrency, NFTs and other digital assets this past holiday season.

    A 23-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, said she would get her sister and parents an NFT of a digital land lot to share in the metaverse.

    She also planned to buy collectible NFTs from projects that aim to empower women, like World of Women and Crypto Coven.

    The digital gifts could cost thousands of dollars depending on factors like metaverse game, demand, and size, CNBC reported.

  • What is a digital wallet? Continued

    As with other cryptocurrencies, people will be able to buy and sell Libras on exchanges for traditional currencies.

    Facebook said that its alternative currency paves the way for smoother transactions and payments online.

    The project however faced regulatory resistance over concerns about security and reliability.

    In December 2020, Libra changed its name to Diem and moved its operations from Switzerland to the US as part of a “strategic shift.”

  • What is a digital wallet?

    A digital wallet is a gadget or piece of software that securely stores users’ payment information and passwords for numerous payment methods.

    It allows users to store cryptocurrencies, make online or in-store purchases, and track their finances.

    In 2019 Facebook said it plans to introduce a cryptocurrency that at the time was called Libra.

    The tech titan said it wanted to create a separate, private currency system to allow users to make cross-border payments more easily.

  • Russia considers crypto investing ban

    Russia’s central bank is reportedly looking to ban cryptocurrency investments amid its longtime skepticism of digital currency.

    The ban by the country’s financial authority would prevent future transactions, Fortune reported, but it wouldn’t require current holders to divest their portfolios.

    The central bank gave digital currencies legal status in 2020 but did not authorize their use as a means of payment, according to Fortune.

  • Apple plans for crypto

    Cook continued by saying that although Apple was looking at cryptocurrency technology, it’s “not something we have immediate plans to do.”

    An Apple Pay executive said in 2019 that the company sees “long-term potential” in cryptocurrency.

    But it seems like crypto fans shouldn’t get excited, because even if Apple does introduce cryptocurrency products or services in the future, it doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon.

  • Apple CEO Tim Cook owns crypto

    Apple CEO Tim Cook recently revealed he owns cryptocurrency.

    At the New York Times DealBook conference, Cook was asked if he owns Bitcoin or Ethereum and said, “I do. I think it’s reasonable to own it as part of a diversified portfolio,” according to CNBC.

    “I’m not giving anyone investment advice by the way,” he noted.

  • No guaranteed returns

    There are no guarantees when it comes to cryptocurrencies, so when someone mentions “guaranteed returns,” they are often scammers.

    There is no way to eliminate the element of risk from cryptocurrencies, although scammers may try to convince you otherwise.

    Check out these other ways to spot scammers in the crypto space.

  • Man loses $1.6million, part three

    The app demanded $1.5million from the victim and threatened to freeze his account if he didn’t pay.

    “I go look on the FBI site and lo and behold, there’s this public alert about this type of scam,” he told the news outlet. “I’m 52, my entire life savings, gone in a matter of a month.”

    The common scam, which involves meeting someone on a dating app, depositing money into a fake investment app (which is constantly changed, renamed or deleted) then losing it all, is called the “Pig Butchering Scam,” KMGH-TV detailed.

  • Man loses $1.6million, part two

    The man said he successfully deposited funds into the account, including money from his retirement accounts.

    He was reportedly able to withdraw cryptocurrency too, until he attempted to take out more.

    A “customer service agent” with the app told him “you need to repay the loan before you can withdraw cash from your account,” KMGH-TV reported.

  • Man loses $1.6million in scam

    A man says he lost his life savings in a scheme dubbed the “Pig Butchering Scam.”

    The 52-year-old told Denver ABC affiliate KMGH-TV that he met a woman on a dating app who appeared to have similar interests to him.

    The conversation turned to cryptocurrency, something he’d made about $70,000 on in a few years.

    The man told the news outlet that the woman he fell for online convinced him to invest on a mobile and web app that seemed legitimate to the software engineer.

  • Banks embrace crypto, continued

    Executives at large banks are beginning to hop on the cryptocurrency train as some invest their time in learning about the new payment method.

    Bank of America spokesman Mark Pipitone told the New York Times, “The bank sees potential in blockchain, and we’re currently a leading patent holder in the space with more than 160 patents.

    “But we still haven’t found a use at scale to make the financial lives of customers and clients better.”

  • Banks embrace crypto

    Banks are paying for slowly catching on to the future of cryptocurrency as they struggle to benefit and profit.

    As cryptocurrency start-ups explode, they are starting to offer credit cards and loans while banks are left in the dust.

    According to the New York Times, “Bank of America’s chief executive, Brian Moynihan, barred the giant company’s wealth managers from putting any client money into cryptocurrency-related investments.”