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.
More earnings and economic data. Cheddar News takes a peek at next week's Wall Street schedule, including reports from Home Depot, Walmart and Nvidia as well as home sales numbers.
Transit technology company Via raised $110 million in a new round of financing. Clara Fain, chief financial officer of Via, joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's mission to digitize public transit globally.
Over 100,000 job cuts were announced across major industries in January, according to a report. Jon Bell, an employment attorney with Bell Law Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss unemployment benefits and severance packages.
Karen Robbins, senior vice president with UBS Wealth Management, joined Cheddar News to discuss Friday's mixed session as officials hinted at more interest rate hikes.
The Week's Top Stories is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
A new study predicts that rising energy costs that have followed in the wake of Russia's war with Ukraine could push millions of people around the globe into extreme poverty.
