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.
Proctor & Gamble, the parent company of many of your go-to cleaning supplies like Cascade, Tide, and Swiffer, among others, is set to hike the prices on many of its goods.
New claims for state unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week and they come as a surprise for those witnessing yet another round of layoffs from the tech sector.
Paul Knopp, the U.S. chair and CEO of accounting giant KPMG, joined Cheddar News to discuss key issues such as global cooperation on technology and ESG investing from the World Economic Forum in Davos.
