Riley: Bitcoin Rally is Just Beginning

Michael G. Riley, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

Riley: Bitcoin Rally is Just Beginning

As Bitcoin reaches $10,000 many people, if not most, believe we are witnessing a modern tulip mania or some kind of Ponzi scheme. These opinions abound and have grown even louder as Jamie Dimon, Chairman of JP Morgan declared in early September that Bitcoin is a fraud and said, "It's worse than tulip bulbs. It won't end well. Someone is going to get killed." 

Later that day Bitcoin plunged and sold off to about $4100. Now just 10 weeks later Bitcoin closed near $10,000. Was Dimon wrong? Yes obviously, his timing was horrible and I believe his prediction will look much worse going forward.

I believe that Bitcoin is not a fraud, certainly no worse fraud than the accounting used by states and municipalities that annually declare “balanced budgets” and then pay fees to Dimon and JP Morgan to help these bankrupt entities borrow from the public. Unlike Puerto Rican GO or revenue bonds, Bitcoin has no chance of ending up worthless. Yet banks and brokers aggressively sold these Puerto Rico munis to the public. 

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Bitcoin is emphatically not a fraud, it really does exist, just like tulips and municipal bonds exist. Is it a mania? That could be true eventually and, for now, it is true that Bitcoin is very volatile but so are other currencies like those in Zimbabwe or Venezuela.

I believe that Bitcoin has real potential to make many ordinary people wealthy beyond belief. I further believe, the trigger that will set off the next vault upward in price is arriving soon in the form of access and leverage. The ability to leverage your Bitcoin investments and its many related offspring is quickly becoming a reality. An instrument like Exchange Traded funds, Notes, Futures, Options on Futures and options on ETF’s are all coming soon. Both the CBOE and CME intend to trade Bitcoin futures and options. The CME has been publishing a reference rate “BRR” since November 14, 2016.

As a trader and hedge fund manager for the past 40 years, I have been “involved” in many of the greatest short squeezes of all time and some really fraudulent companies. Nearly every time I was forced out of my position because I just couldn’t take it anymore. In my opinion Bitcoin story is just starting and those who will be hurt will be on the short side.

Jamie Dimon, Warren Buffett, and Charlie Munger are three of the smartest market observers of my era. I feel strongly the Jamie Dimon has too strong an opinion on Bitcoin and should step aside and enjoy the ride.

Michael G. Riley is vice chair at Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity and is managing member and founder of Coastal Management Group, LLC. Riley has 35 years of experience in the financial industry, having managed divisions of PaineWebber, LETCO, and TD Securities (TD Bank). He has been quoted in Barron’s, Wall Street Transcript, NY Post, and various other print media and also appeared on NBC News, Yahoo TV, and CNBC. 

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