Bitcoin
The first and largest cryptocurrency by market cap.
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What it is
A digital currency that runs on a global network with no central authority and a fixed supply capped at 21 million coins.
Why it matters
It was the first cryptocurrency and is the largest, and its fixed supply and independence from traditional markets are why some investors follow it closely.
How investors use it
It is highly volatile, so investors who hold it usually treat it as a small, long-term, high-risk part of a diversified portfolio.
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency created in 2009 by an anonymous figure known as Satoshi Nakamoto. It operates on a public blockchain, a distributed ledger that records every transaction, with no central authority controlling it. There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin in existence.
Bitcoin can be used as a medium of exchange or held as a long-term store of value. Its fixed supply is one of its most important features: unlike fiat currencies, no government or central bank can create more of it. This makes it attractive to investors concerned about currency debasement and inflation over time.
Over its history, Bitcoin has experienced dramatic booms and crashes, gaining and losing more than 50% of its value multiple times. Despite the volatility, its long-run trajectory has been steeply upward. As of 2024, it is increasingly held by institutional investors, corporations, and even sovereign nations as a reserve asset.
Why investors watch it
- Pioneer of the entire digital asset space, the first cryptocurrency and the original store of value of the crypto market
- Increasingly considered "digital gold," a long-term store of value with a mathematically fixed supply
- Highly volatile in the short term, making it a speculative allocation for most portfolios
- Growing institutional adoption: publicly traded companies, ETFs, and national treasuries now hold Bitcoin
- Moves independently of traditional markets, which can provide portfolio diversification alongside unique risks
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