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.
America’s second most-hated chore is washing the dishes, according to Procter & Gamble, and to alleviate the stress of scrubbing, P&G invented Cascade Platinum Plus
Microsoft is reportedly looking to invest $10 billion in OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, which would place the value of the company at $29 billion. Investors believe the new technology company could change the world as Google did.
Microsoft said it doesn't comment on rumors or speculation after Cheddar News asked for a comment about a report that the tech giant was in talks for a $10 billion investment in OpenAi.
Caleb Silver, editor-in-chief of Investopedia, joined Cheddar News to discuss playing the bond market, specifically corporate bonds and the risks involved.