Today Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy in Japan, where its headquarters stand. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/sns-mt-gox-bankruptcy-bitcoins-20140228,0,3681597.story
A hack attack took over 750,000 coins from Mt. Gox accounts, worth nearly half a billion US dollars on the currency markets. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/mt-gox-files-for-bankruptcy/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Mark Karpeles, CEO of Mt. Gox, in his public apology, blames “weaknesses in the system” for the loss by his currency exchange business. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/us-bitcoin-mtgox-bankruptcy-idUSBREA1R0FX20140228
Mt. Gox has historically been the largest trader of Bitcoin, although other currency exchanges similar to that of Mt. Gox also continue trading in that cryptocoin and others. http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/28/mt-gox-files-for-bankruptcy/
Analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com say that while Bitcoin continues to be traded, the long term effects on NewCoin technology suddenly seem cloudy, and risks of buying or selling Bitcoins and similar digital currencies may freeze all NewCoin markets in the near future.
Those with no risk and no investments in digital currencies seem apathetic, but those hoping to find financial security in the new technology may have lost life savings. What about you? Have you lost anything in the Mt. Gox bankruptcy? Or how about your experience with digital currency trading in general? Any good experiences out there, or has everyone suffered bad experience?
This underlines what I see as the major rule of investment: [b]Do not invest in anything where you do not understand where the profit comes from.[/b] If the only visible source of gain is people’s belief in more future gain, it is probably a pyramid game or Ponzi scheme.
I read that the average investor lost about $3500 US. They’re comparing this to the early days of the automobile, saying that an accident should not have curtailed its development since traffic lights and signs had yet to be invented. I think early adopters of this currency are taking unnecessary risks and has already been pointed out – it’s questionable where the profit enters the picture.
‘Profit,’ meaning selling higher than the purchase price, derives from exchanges of value, and value is largely in the eye of its beholders.
In law, this is referred to as a fair bargain or an arms length transaction. Profit is mostly a state of mind.