Ripple's XRP cryptocurrency soaring to new heights this week. Coindesk's Director of Research Nolan Bauerle and Fortune Staff Writer Robert Hackett explain factors driving altcoins up, and Bitcoin down.
"Bitcoin has an enviable problem of being so popular, and such strong brand name that it became hard to access," says Bauerle. "I think when people saw that surge hit in December they said well I'll try something else." Altcoins like Ripple's XRP, Ethereum, and Tron posted significant gains in the first week of 2018.
"Retail investors are gobbling it up," says Hackett on some companies adding the word "Blockchain" to their name. " On Thursday Ripple's co-founder Chris Larsen became one of the wealthiest Americans on paper with his shares of the cryptocurrency growing to more than $59 billion. But Hackett says its important to note these shares are hard to transfer to direct wealth. Even if he were able to cash out all of his fortune, the markets would not handle it well says Hackett.
Be Well: Back to School Clothes Shopping on a Budget
Google is making its artificial intelligence power tools available to customers for a monthly fee.
Best Buy lowered its sales outlook for the rest of the year despite a positive quarterly earnings report.
X Corp, formerly known as Twitter, is facing over 2,200 arbitration cases.
Google Flight added a new feature that tracks flight prices.
Businesses posted far fewer open jobs in July and the number of Americans quitting their jobs fell sharply for the second straight month, clear signs that the labor market is cooling in a way that could reduce inflation.
American Airlines said it was fined $4.1 million for keeping passengers on planes during long on-ground delays.
3M said it will pay $6 billion to settle lawsuits claiming that it sold defective earplugs to the U.S. military.
Meta said it disrupted a campaign of disinformation linked to Chinese law enforcement.
Buying your first home can be challenging with rising interest rates and other costs. Cheddar News spoke with Amira Elgoneimy, a premiere agent with Redfin who caters to the New Brunswick, NJ area, and Daryl Fairweather, chief economist with Redfin, about the process involved in purchasing a residence in a competitive market.
