I heard the best, best explanation of crypto value from a friend that has already made a small fortune from bitcoin short sales. It's simple: bitcoin has a price that's "wobbling." "Wobble" is the perfect word. It isn't spinning out of control, it isn't spiking so hard that everyone's head is spinning, it's wobbling. 100%, 93%, 106%, 91%, 90%, 85%, then BOOM 99%, 107%, 113%, then it falls, etc. That is extremely common, and you'll see it if you look at the numbers - clear as day, wobble wobble.
Cryptocurrines, and their Indexes are a great way to start to learn about markets. I think they're great because they get people interested in money and markets. I see more and more people becoming away of the financial world just from becoming interested in bit coins. Soon enough they're on an index like poloniex, and talking about the margin trades. I think it's pretty awesome and will continue to grow as a valid and interesting market space!
Cryptocurrencies are a risky investment and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. It needs knowledge to make profit and these cryptocurrencies are easily transferred anonymously which connects them to criminal operations. In addition they are controlled by no one.
The technical term for "wobble" is volatility. Any asset class that has a price which fluctuates rapidly, though not to a large magnitude, around a certain price point and within a short space of time is ripe for "scalping". Personally, I actually don't think Bitcoin is good for this sort of trading because its price swings can be huge, but that in itself can be traded successfully, though not in my opinion with scalping.
I would be very nervous investing in cryptocurrencies. I just don't think they are that stable. I just think that there are much better things to invest in, and those stocks and bonds that have a proven track record, and are backed with substance. I would go to those possibilities first.
