Video - Critical Analysis AltCoins

This video is a critical thinking of using altcoins. It is important to check and differentiate what venture and altcoin you want to jive in before doing a move.

TRANSCRIPT

It explains how to be critical of every aspect of an alt coin, from the technology and economics to the marketing and history.

Here are some things to look out for:

Here are some questions you should be asking when you want to identify the core reasons to invest in an alt coin:

  • What problem is the Cryptocurrency trying to solve ?

  • Are there alternatives to address this problem that are more efficient?

  • Is the Altcoin structured with central control or a decentralised governance?

And I think this last one is very important to consider:

  • How much of the price of the cryptocurrency is based on the value being delivered today and how much is it based on future promises of development?

Marketing Strategy/Social Proof:

If you’re looking for an alt coin that has some longevity it’s wise to investigate it’s social circle. How big is the community? You can find out by checking how many followers the coin has on Twitter, and by paying a visit to it’s slack channel.

Not only will you be able to see how active the community is, but you’ll also get a feel for the overall sentiment of the coin. The slack channel is also a great place for you to ask all of your hard hitting questions. Like how many times has the alt coin rebranded and why?

Development team and Technology:

  • What is the new tech that the altcoin is developing? (if any)
  • Can the solution be easily copied?
  • What is unique about the team behind this altcoin?
  • What are the weaknesses of the development team?
  • Are the dev team accessible?
  • Are their identities public?

Price analysis:

Im sure you’ve heard the phrase pump and dump more than a few times by now.

These are essentially fueled by investors who spread FOMO to pump the price, that’s fear of missing out and then spread FUD to crash the price down, that’s fear, uncertainty and doubt. Many times it is the day traders who create these pump and dumps so they can skim profits.

But a real concern that will be more important in the future is when cryptocurrency ETFs are approved. This is cause for concern because ETFs will allow speculators to short a coin- or bet on it’s decrease of price- without actually having to hold that coin. This is called naked short selling.

When you want to look at the price analysis of a coin consider these things:

  • Does the price pump and dump cycle make sense? * Is it connected with actual events that add value to the currency? * Is all the market rising or just the cryptocurrency in question?

  • On what volume was the price increase or decrease done?

Economics of the coin:

  • What is the inflation rate or deflation rate of the altcoin?
  • Is the altcoin a PoS (Proof of Stake) or a PoW (Proof of Work)?
  • If it is a PoS, what was the distribution model?

History of the coin:

Here is where you’ll find if the coin was designed to be just a scam, or if it was created with good intentions, yet implemented badly. Analyzing the history of a coin is what will give you a better sense of the proof of progress the coin has made thus far and can also shows the direction the coin is heading in the future.

  • Is the coin progressing towards its goal?
  • Was the coin insta-mined or pre-mined?
  • Was that money put to good use?
  • Did the creators announce the exact launch time and date of the coin?
  • Who are the most influential critics and what have they commented on the altcoin in the past?
  • How has the altcoin changed over time?

Now that you know what to be critical of, I encourage you to go out and conduct your own research, join the slack channels and start a conversation with the developers. Read up on any articles concerning the coin and see how it’s progressed, how or if it has made progress, and see what the other critics have to say about it.

Written by Melvin Draupnir on May 18, 2017.