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.
With inflationary woes and fears of recession sweeping the U.S., January has racked up the second most job cuts since the start of the pandemic. While losing a job can be daunting, there are steps employees can take to prepare for an uncertain future in their current positions.
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.
Elon Musk has taken the stand Friday in a shareholder trial in California centering on a 2018 tweet that the billionaire sent about taking Tesla private and the funding secured to do so.
Google parent Alphabet reported quarterly results just shy of Wall Street estimates as the tech giant announced layoffs of about 12,000 workers. Cheddar News breaks down the latest numbers.
A rough week on Wall Street dominated by worries about a weakening economy ended Friday with a broad rally that gave the market its best day in two weeks.
