It was once assumed, with a certain naive optimism, that these digital instruments – cryptocurrencies – served merely as vehicles for short-term speculation. A fleeting fancy, if you will. But the currents have shifted, and we find ourselves in a peculiar situation: these assets have insinuated themselves into the long-term portfolios of individuals, a development that requires, if not justification, then at least a dispassionate examination. The ease with which one can now acquire these… tokens, is itself a matter for some quiet contemplation.
Presented below is a preliminary assessment of two such cryptocurrencies, suitable for consideration over extended, perhaps indefinite, periods.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin (BTC +4.10%) remains, despite the proliferation of alternatives, the foundational element of any portfolio venturing into this… domain. Seventeen years since its inception, it still commands a disproportionate share – approximately 60% – of the total market capitalization. Should one maintain a conviction – a precarious undertaking, to be sure – in the enduring viability of this cryptographic ecosystem, Bitcoin is, by a process of elimination, a necessary inclusion.
The figures, while ostensibly quantifiable, offer little genuine solace. Since its genesis in January 2009, Bitcoin has yielded returns of approximately 114,000% to investors. This statistic, however, obscures the inherent volatility, the years of negligible or negative returns, and the unsettling realization that past performance is, as the custodians of traditional finance are so fond of stating, no guarantee of future outcomes. The upward trajectory, while undeniable over a decade, feels less like progress and more like a temporary reprieve from an inevitable reckoning.
In seven of the fourteen years between 2012 and 2025, Bitcoin delivered returns exceeding 100%. The implication – that such gains are repeatable – is, of course, deeply suspect. Where else, one wonders, can one find an asset that routinely doubles in value, only to then threaten to vanish entirely? The question, perhaps, is not where, but whether one should seek such an asset.
In 2011, Bitcoin traded at approximately $10. By the close of 2024, it had reached $100,000, continuing its ascent into 2025, peaking at $126,000. This exponential growth – breaking through successive price barriers of $10, $100, $1,000, $10,000, and $100,000 – feels less like a triumph of innovation and more like the inevitable consequence of a system operating outside the bounds of conventional regulation.
Should this pattern persist – a proposition fraught with uncertainty – the next threshold for Bitcoin is the $1 million mark. Certain prominent investors, including Cathie Wood of Ark Invest, have posited this possibility by the year 2030. One is left to ponder the implications of such an event, and the inevitable correction that will follow. Therefore, ignore the present fluctuations and maintain your position in Bitcoin for the next decade, not with optimism, but with a weary acceptance of the inevitable.
Ethereum
The sole other cryptocurrency approaching Bitcoin’s performance over the past decade is Ethereum (ETH +5.64%). Since its launch in July 2015, it has experienced a growth of approximately 75,000%. This figure, while impressive, is rendered somewhat meaningless by the sheer unpredictability of the market.
Ethereum pioneered the use of blockchain smart contracts, achieving an early advantage and establishing itself as the dominant Layer 1 blockchain network. It currently represents roughly 10% of the total value of the cryptocurrency market. This dominance, however, is not necessarily indicative of long-term sustainability.
Due to its longstanding presence in decentralized finance (DeFi), Ethereum has garnered a reputation as the preferred blockchain of Wall Street. As the boundaries between traditional finance and blockchain finance blur, Ethereum may continue to increase in value. Or it may not. The convergence, one suspects, will benefit only a select few.
Allocating $500 to Cryptographic Holdings
The most direct method of allocating $500 to Bitcoin and Ethereum is, of course, to purchase them directly on a cryptocurrency exchange. However, given the recent introduction of spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in January 2024, a potentially more… convenient, though no less unsettling, option is to acquire shares through an ETF.
One could, for instance, purchase 12 shares of the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT +5.18%) or 30 shares of the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA +6.78%). While ETFs are not universally suitable, they do simplify the process of portfolio diversification, allowing one to achieve a seemingly perfect blend, a facade of control in a fundamentally chaotic system.
If Bitcoin and Ethereum were to even approach replicating their performance over the past decade, the resulting increase in value from a $500 investment over ten years would be… significant. Though, one must ask: at what cost? And to whom?
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2026-02-14 13:32