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.
A group of Amazon workers upset about recent layoffs, a return-to-office mandate and the company’s environmental impact is planning a walkout at the company's Seattle headquarters Wednesday.
A report from Rent.com finds that prices are stabilizing at the national level but some states are still seeing some skyrocketing rates. Jon Leckie, a researcher with Rent.com, joined Cheddar News to provide the big takeaways on what're the latest trends from the report.
Air New Zealand is asking passengers to weigh themselves before boarding flights in an effort to ensure "the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft."
Jay Woods, chief global strategist with Freedom Capital Markets, joined Cheddar News to discuss what lies ahead as trading kicked off a holiday-shortened week and ahead of a House vote on the debt ceiling deal.
With home sales rising 4.1 percent in April from the month before and 11.8 percent from a year ago, the housing market is still hot. Kirsten Jordan, associate real estate broker for Douglas Elliman, has some tips to help savvy homebuyers get into the market
