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November 28, 2018Watch this video to see how to use this newsletter. Click the square in the lower right to expand the view.
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Crypto Market Commentary
Mav's Daily Commentary
Markets Find Footing And Put Up A Very Green Day
Red November Is Not Over Yet
Today the market saw a healthy move from 126 to 142 Billion with over 20 Billion in volume. Not bad. Still nothing compared to the recent drops we’ve had, but it has us on a mostly positive trend this week after establishing the new yearly low on Sunday.
Now, the rhetoric that seems to be making the rounds recently is that the Bitcoin ETF is going to be something we can count on in Q1 2019.
Let’s make things explicitly clear: no one knows, and at present the possibility is still very low.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see it approved simply for the milestone it represents and because then we wouldn’t have to play these speculation games every month.
At the same, I’ve raised concerns in the past with the management of the VanEck Solidx Bitcoin ETF and how it doesn’t deserve to hold the market in such a state of wishful thinking.
But, we’re in a fragile state right now and anything that is proclaimed to be the cure is going to be held up with unrealistic hopes.
Here’s the thing: We’re likely not going to see it anytime soon, and that’s ok. The SEC simply isn’t going to move forward on it unless something drastic changes.
That was on full display when SEC Chairman Jay Clayton made comments at Consensus Invest in New York City recently.
The biggest takeaway is that there won’t be an ETF anytime soon if you take him directly at his word. As we’ve covered many times, it’s the third party custody and the market manipulation that stand in the way.
As Clayton said, “How that [manipulation] issue gets addressed, I don’t have a particular path. But it needs to be addressed.”
He made it very clear that he has a distaste for the current crop of crypto exchanges. Quite simply, they don’t do enough to prevent market manipulation.
“What investors expect is that trading in the commodity that underlies that ETF makes sense and is free from the risk of manipulation … It’s an issue that needs to be addressed before I would be comfortable.”
I think that alone spells it out for us. It’s not an issue that will be fixed overnight.
That said, Clayton seemed to have favor for the new generation of regulated exchanges making their way to the crypto space. Bakkt, ErisX, and many of the other institutionally backed and bred exchanges represent the environment that he’s more comfortable with.
But it’s a fine balance to strive for. If there is too many regulations put into place, that might distance the retail investors that comprise the majority of crypto investors today. Essentially, there’s nothing stopping the crypto community from forking off if they sense a direction they’re uncomfortable or not in agreement with.
However, Clayton is also concerned with how safely crypto assets are stored, making the point that investors could be exposed to a risk of theft in the ETFs’ underlying assets:
“We’ve seen some thefts around digital assets that make you scratch your head … We care that the assets underlying that ETF have good custody and that they’re not going to disappear.”
So there’s issues in a multitude of areas.
I think, to summate the current state of things adequately, we’re simply too immature at this point and the Bitcoin ETF is a bad idea both in principle and in execution.
Sure, it’s fun to think about, but there are very real concerns and issues that cannot be glossed over simply because we want more volume in this market.
That’s exactly the kind of thinking that got us in trouble in 2017, and from now I think we need to support rational and measured initiatives, not whatever brings the most money in the fastest.
It’s important we don’t rush the milestones, but then we risk corrupting the soul of the space. I’d rather us put innovation and sustainability first.
After all, would you rather make a little bit of money soon or a lot of money over a longer period of time? Short term thinking is dangerous and this space is too important to be dictated by it.
Thankfully, things are changing and we’re moving in the right direction.
We’ve started to produce episodes for The ReadySetCrypto Podcast; all of our episodes are posted on our blog (and on iTunes) and Episode Fifteen is now available. Episode Fifteen is entitled “2019 Will Be The Year of the Crypto Derivative.” Look for more episodes shortly as we comb the crypto space for valuable interviews, and create valuable content to keep you in the loop! See you tomorrow!
Doc's Daily Commentary
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Offense – Adding Trades
Offensive Actions for the next trading day:
- None for tomorrow.
Defense – Managing Risk
Defensive Actions for the next trading day:
- None.
RSC Managed Crypto Fund
How to read this portfolio: Please read through the FAQ tab
- ETH/USD 2% added 8/10/2018 @ $363.14
- ETH/USD 2% added 9/9/2018 @ $200.50 (10% more to add)
- LTC/USD 2% added 8/10/2018 @ $62.56. (5% more to add)
- XMR/BTC 2% added 9/21/2018 @ .018BTC
- BTC/USD 2% added 11/7/2018 @ $6501
- XLM/BTC 2% added 11/19/2018 @.00004389BTC
- XEM/BTC 2% added 11/27/2018 @.00001901BTC
Click on image to download the datasheet
RSC Altcoin-Exclusive Crypto Fund
Click on image to download the datasheet
Click on the image to download the TXT file
Technical Analysis Research
A continued bounce on good volume today; this supports at the very least the beginning formation of a bear flag pattern, but unlikely to be the bottoming capitulation. We will continue to look for assets bouncing off the bottom and starting to trend.
In August we introduced a new “fund” project that we’ll be creating over the next few months, in piecemeal form. I will be slowly and methodically creating a “fund” with (currently) 23 assets that we will do “live” or at least very plainly indicate where we intend to enter portions of assets. As long as the market continues grinding down in a bear, we will use sentiment-based entries to hopefully secure a better entry. All that I saw were bear flags tonight; we are close to some good entries on coins showing positive divergence on the RSI. 
Going forward into the end of this year my plan is to do a LOT more swing trading; what would really help is a decent derivatives exchange. I am looking for big things from Digitex in this regard, which will be a commission-free futures platform however all trades must be made in DGTX as the base currency. Put yourself on the waitlist for this platform by clicking here. I have started to acquire DGTX tokens at Mercatox in anticipation of them turning up their platform, and this looks to be a good candidate for a pump prior to the production event. Here are the recent swings that we’re tracking in the portfolio below; :
- DGB/BTC – long @ .00000608 (7/23). My target exit is .000008BTC.
- WTC/BTC – Long @ .00155980BTC (4/23). My target exit is at .002BTC.
- ADA/BTC – Long @ .00003931BTC (5/1) My target exit is at .00005BTC.
- ONT/BTC – long @ .0008905 (5/20) My target is .0013BTC.
- ETP/BTC – long @ .000522BTC (9/21) My target is .00072BTC
Please keep in mind that if you want to follow these trades, I am using FIXED RISK POSITION SIZING. This means that I am using a fixed amount of risk capital that is based on my account size, like 2%. I am assuming that the trade will burn to the ground and that I will lose that entire capital position! Only in this manner can one effectively manage a position the way that you have to. If you’ve every checked your blockfolio nervously every 5 minutes when you’re underwater, this will prevent that. I will track these positions in this area and not in the main portfolio section. I will use a public portfolio tool to do so, which you can access by clicking below:
Public Swing Portfolio Link
I hope you all got a chance to catch my webinar class from earlier this year; if not, the replay is available here. If you missed my earlier webinar, “More Profits in 2018; Ten Ways to Chart Like a Pro.” then you can catch the replay here. My new class “Introduction to Technical Analysis” is now available via our online store.
If you go to buy any of our courses at our online “store” you can receive $10 off the street price with your member’s “coupon code” of member18crypto..
Coinigy is a great tool for determining prices on each exchange, however I may not have access to the full suite of tools on TradingView charts. I am currently not using it as a front-end GUI for my exchanges, which it supports.I also use Blockfolio and/or Delta to give me a quick snapshot of my holdings, and find that it does an excellent job to aggregate all of my holdings into one easy-to-read snapshot of my cryptocurrencies, which are typically located in many different places.
I am also trialing the Profit Trailer and CryptoHopper trading apps which are working well in this choppy market.
Fundamental Currency Research
We’ll focus in-depth on a coin you should consider, and talk about the fundamentals of what makes it interesting. This is not a “ this is the next big crypto” article or “reasons why you should buy”. We’re simply laying it down with hype, speculation, and other nonsense.
Today’s RSC Coin Spotlight is the 0x Protocol (ZRX):
No doubt you’ve heard about ZRX in the past several weeks since its listing on Coinbase on October 11, 2018. But you may be asking yourself: What is ZRX? And What gives it value?
ZRX is the governance token of the 0x Protocol, a standard for trustlessly trading ERC20 and ERC721 tokens. 0x Protocol allows users to trade tokens right from their wallets in either OTC trades or through a decentralized exchange otherwise known as a relayer.
0x protocol uses an approach they refer to as off-chain order relay with on-chain settlement. In this approach, cryptographically signed orders are broadcast off of the blockchain through any arbitrary communication channel an interested counterparty may fill the order by submitting one or more of these signed orders into 0x protocol’s Exchange contract to execute and settle trades directly to the blockchain.
The project ICO’d in August 2017 for $24,000,000. On August 2, 2017, iFinex Inc. (BVI), the company that owns Bitfinex, announced it would launch Ethfinex, an Ethereum-based trading and discussion platform that would utilize the 0x Protocol. Several other prominent relayers rose in the 0x ecosystem such as DDEX, Radar Relay, and Paradex.
On May 23rd, Coinbase announced it had acquired Paradex, a decentralized exchange that uses 0x. At the time of the Paradex acquisition, Cointelegraph reported,
“Coinbase will integrate the Paradex relay platform into Coinbase Pro which, according their blog post, will let customers trade ‘hundreds of tokens directly from their wallets.’ This would markedly expand the types of cryptocurrencies to which customers will have access through Coinbase. The blog post states that the new service will be made available to customers outside the US before eventually being offered to American clients.”
This acquisition led many in the crypto community to speculate that Coinbase would list ZRX and sure enough it was listed on Coinbase on October 11, 2018. The ZRX community eagerly awaits Coinbase Pro “Trustless” which could see the listing of many ERC20 tokens. Coinbase’s recent announcement of USDC, an ERC20 backed by USD, may be used in trading pairs on Coinbase’s new trustless service.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-announces-launch-of-coinbase-pro-paradex-acquisition
https://blog.0xproject.com/18-ideas-for-0x-relayers-in-2018-80a1498b955f
0x protocol relayers have a lot of flexibility on how they collect and relay the orders they interact with. Relayers can choose whether to have open or closed liquidity pools. Relayers can be private or open.
They can even be dark relayers which allows big players to transact outside of the eyes of the public by obfuscating their orderbooks and provide just-in-time quotes for crypto assets to emulate the experience of using a dark liquidity pool.
But 0x goes far beyond decentralized exchanges. The liquidity pools that relayers create can be beneficial to any number of projects in the Ethereum ecosystem. 0x allows developers a flexible approach to offering their users liquidity for their tokens.
Any DApp looking to accept multiple tokens as payment methods could tap into 0x’s orderbooks for the liquidity to convert the payment into the token of their choice.
For example, Since 0x can handle ERC721 tokens, two players of the ERC721-based card game Gods Unchained can trade cards with one another. Gods Unchained is going to utilize 0x to create an in-app exchange where players can trustlessly trade ERC721 cards with one another. https://godsunchained.com/
Developers see the value in a protocol like 0x and several major projects in the Ethereum ecosystem are integrating the 0x protocol as a vital function of their code.
District0x (DNT) is one of these projects. According to their website, District0x is a network of decentralized markets and communities known as districts that solves a number of coordination issues and inefficiencies commonly found within distributed community marketplaces.
This is accomplished by providing tools that can better align incentives and decision making among the market participants themselves.
The end goal is to create a self sustaining ecosystem that can flourish without the need for a central authority. Districts exist on top of a modular framework of Ethereum smart contracts and frontend libraries referred to as d0xINFRA.
https://district0x.io/
District0x embedded their 0xprotocol into their districts on the district0x Network, giving users the ability to pay and receive payment in the ERC20 or ERC721 token of their choice.
Simlar to the ZRX token, DNT is used to govern District0x. As their FAQ puts it:
“The district0x token holders themselves decide whether a district is good or bad for the network through the District Registry, an incentivized voting game that dictates access to the network. Whether a district is good or bad not only applies in terms of the quality of the marketplace, but also prevents against districts that are deemed immoral or threatening to the entire network by DNT holders. This will be entirely up to the DNT token holders to decide.”
https://district0x.io/faq/
Like many people you may be asking yourself: “Where is the value in governing these protocols? Where is my money?” These are valid questions that honestly no one has the answer to yet. Like many aspects of crypto, these investments are speculatory.
One concern many have raised in the ZRX community is: What stops someone from forking the 0xprotocol in the case of a dispute? While it is true that a relayer who wanted to could fork away from the rest of the 0xprotocol but they would also suffer the consequences of disconnecting from everyone else in that pool of liquidity.
Similar arguments have been made for open-source software in the past and it usually boils down to the same concept that gives these open-source projects value: network effect. It’s hard to copy and paste Ethereum because it is the Ethereum network that has value not strictly the technology.
0xprotocol can be viewed in a similar light. Yes, you could fork the protocol but the value in ZRX is the network of users and application built on top of the protocol itself. District0x and relayers are a prime example of this. Any project that tried to duplicate ZRX would need to attract all of the protocol network’s users as well.
As the cryptocurrency space keeps evolving, we’re going to see users and developers take the path of least resistance. Why make my own operating system when I can use one someone else wrote? Why make my own network protocol for computers when I can use TCP/IP to connect to the internet?
Why make my own cryptocurrency network when I can build on Ethereum or Stellar? This line thinking logically progresses into: Why make my own liquidity when I can tap into a network like ZRX? Why make my own marketplace when I can use District0x?
This interweaving of utility protocols is going to create a strong fabric for ecommerce in the age of Web 3.0. Just like ZRX, District0x benefits from developers building off of their framework. These developers must place a refundable deposit of DNT to become a district creating a symbiotic relationship.
District0x provides a standard framework for any marketplace system with a reputation like Ebay or even Amazon.
One example of the districts on the District0x network is the RedLightDistrict created in partnership with Spankchain. They sell, as you might have guessed, adult content from performers on Spankchain’s network. District0x’s framework provides the RedLightDistrict with the ability to have buyer and seller reputations, an issue interface for performers to sell digital content, and seamless payments via the ZRX protocol.
https://github.com/district0x/district-proposals/issues/197
The decentralized finance ecosystem grows with each new strand woven into its fabric; We are seeing more and more Dapps in the Ethereum space being built on top of or interwoven with other Dapps or protocols. District0x is just one of the threads interwoven with ZRX.
dYdX protocol is building another important product that integrates with ZRX relayers. dYdX is a protocol for short selling and derivatives built on the Ethereum blockchain. dYdX provides decentralized peer-to-peer shorting, lending, and options trading of any Ethereum based token. dYdX allows decentralized exchanges to offer sophisicated financial tools similar to centralized exchanges but in a completely trustless way. https://medium.com/dydxderivatives/introducing-dydx-2d0f0f326fd
Dharma protocol is another great example. Dharma is a protocol for issuing, underwriting, and administering debt agreements as tradeable cryptographic tokens built on top of, you guessed it, the 0x protocol. https://dharma.io/
Overall, 0x is certainly a project doing big things, and will certainly be one of the more successful projects you should keep your eye on heading into next year.
More resources on 0x:
https://blog.0xproject.com/0x-is-laying-the-foundation-for-the-token-economy-eb2cc3b070d0
https://www.0xproject.com/wiki#List-of-Projects-Using-0x-Protocol
https://0xtracker.com/
https://medium.com/@FEhrsam/why-decentralized-exchange-protocols-matter-58fb5e08b320
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/tencent-wechat-mini-program-push-takes-aim-at-apple-and-google.html
2017- 2018Q2 Portfolio (Discontinued)
Desired Holdings
How to read this portfolio: Please click on the Chart Key tab above for definitions and color codes. The colors correspond to our 7 categories in the graphic below.
Tier 4
ZIL
IAM
FT
DATA
ELEC
None.
Tier 2
MOD
Tier 3
REQ
SUB
LINK
NANO
KNC
Tier 4
BNTY
TAU
WISH
PHR
LOCI
XBY
ELA
ECC
POE
HPB
BIX
EVE
XVG
NULS
DNA
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