Bitcoin and Binary Options Trading

Binary options have been becoming more and more popular in the last 2 years. This type of trading has been desired among new traders as they don't need to actually buy anything, just predict whether the asset will move up or down in specified time frame. Those trades are happening in short time frames (30 sec, 1 min, 5 min) but might be months too. If the trader predicted wrongly, they will obviously lose their money. If the trader was right in his/her prediction, they will receive 80-85% payout, depending on the broker.

Binary options are sometimes referred to as 'all-or-nothing options', 'digital options', or 'fixed return options' (FROs), which are traded on the American Stock Exchange.

Bitcoin (BTC) is a digital currency which is created and held electronically and no one controls it. "Bitcoin is an online payment system invented by Satoshi Nakamoto, who published his invention in 2008, and released it as open-source software in 2009. The system is peer-to-peer; users can transact directly without needing an intermediary.Transactions are verified by network nodes and recorded in a public distributed ledger called the blockchain. The ledger uses its own unit of account, also called bitcoin. The system works without a central repository or single administrator, which has led the US Treasury to categorize it as a decentralized virtual currency. Bitcoin is often called the first cryptocurrency... "

Bitcoin as a currency in binary options trading

Bitcoin is now widely used currency and many trading platforms accept it as a method of payment for their clients' trading deposits. There are many benefits using Bitcoin as a currency. The first benefit is "the fact that the cost of transaction is the lowest among all forms of online payment. This is the very reason why Bitcoin was created in the first place, to lower the cost of online transaction. Since there is no central authority managing Bitcoin, no service fee is paid when receiving or transmitting payment." Another reason for traders to use Bitcoin as a currency is that Bitcoin itself is tradeable and they can earn extra Bitcoins that way.

"By having all the trading transactions denoted in Bitcoin, a trader is able to shield himself from the fluctuation of this crypto currency while at the same time earn more of it through profits earned in trading."

Bitcoin as a commodity in binary options trading

With a recent popularity of Bitcoin and its acceptance as a currency, many binary options platforms started using Bitcoin as one of the currencies to trade. so as an asset. Stockbrokers are seeing the value in trading BTC against flat currencies, mainly versus American Dollar.

Today there are 2 main types of Bitcoin binary options platforms:

• First-generation brokers - binary options platforms that allow trading on Bitcoin
• Second-generation brokers - platforms that offer both Bitcoin funding and Bitcoin trading

First generation brokers - brokers who offer Bitcoin trading:

• Coinut - only Bitcoin options exchange platform; programmed as a robust and distributed on Linux operating system coinut.com
• BTClevels - Bitcoin binary options trading platform; with or without registration, hassle free btclevels.com
• 24 Options - one of the first brokers who started offering BTC as an asset 24option.com

Second-generation brokers - brokers who offer Bitcoin funding and trading:

• Traderush binary platform - accepts BTC deposits traderush.com
• Nadex trading platform -accepts BTC funding and allows BTC trading; offers limited risk, short-term trading, transparency and full regulated market nadex.com
• Satoshi Option trading platform - accepts BTC funding and allows BTC trading; doesn't require account registration neither personal details. Payouts are near instantaneous and the service is accessible from anywhere in the world satoshioption.com
• BTCOracle platform - Bitcoin only platform - allows BTC funding and trading offering few wallet options and full transparency btcoracle.com
• Bitstamp platform - As above, BTC only platform - allows BTC trading and funding but requires login bitstamp.net
• Bitcoin Wisdom - allows trading 3 digital currencies, Bitcoins, Litecoins, Altcoins versus other flat currencies and requires login bitcoinwisdom.com
• Beast Option - allows BTC funding and trading of Bitcoins and Litecoins; guarantees fairness in pricing regardless of market fluctuations beastoptions.com

When choosing a Bitcoin broker it is important to check their terms and conditions, paying a particular attention to the information whether their Bitcoin Assets are stored in "Deep Cold Storage". It means that Bitcoins are insured and stored offline, where they are not susceptible to hackers.

What Is Bitcoin and Is It a Good Investment?

Bitcoin (BTC) is a new kind of digital currency-with cryptographic keys-that is decentralized to a network of computers used by users and miners around the world and is not controlled by a single organization or government. It is the first digital cryptocurrency that has gained the public's attention and is accepted by a growing number of merchants. Like other currencies, users can use the digital currency to buy goods and services online as well as in some physical stores that accept it as a form of payment. Currency traders can also trade Bitcoins in Bitcoin exchanges.

There are several major differences between Bitcoin and traditional currencies (e.g. U.S. dollar): 

1. Bitcoin does not have a centralized authority or clearing house (e.g. government, central bank, MasterCard or Visa network). The peer-to-peer payment network is managed by users and miners around the world. The currency is anonymously transferred directly between users through the internet without going through a clearing house. This means that transaction fees are much lower.
2. Bitcoin is created through a process called "Bitcoin mining". Miners around the world use mining software and computers to solve complex bitcoin algorithms and to approve Bitcoin transactions. They are awarded with transaction fees and new Bitcoins generated from solving Bitcoin algorithms.
3. There is a limited amount of Bitcoins in circulation. According to Blockchain, there were about 12.1 million in circulation as of Dec. 20, 2013. The difficulty to mine Bitcoins (solve algorithms) becomes harder as more Bitcoins are generated, and the maximum amount in circulation is capped at 21 million. The limit will not be reached until approximately the year 2140. This makes Bitcoins more valuable as more people use them.
4. A public ledger called 'Blockchain' records all Bitcoin transactions and shows each Bitcoin owner's respective holdings. Anyone can access the public ledger to verify transactions. This makes the digital currency more transparent and predictable. More importantly, the transparency prevents fraud and double spending of the same Bitcoins.
5. The digital currency can be acquired through Bitcoin mining or Bitcoin exchanges.
6. The digital currency is accepted by a limited number of merchants on the web and in some brick-and-mortar retailers.
7. Bitcoin wallets (similar to PayPal accounts) are used for storing Bitcoins, private keys and public addresses as well as for anonymously transferring Bitcoins between users.
8. Bitcoins are not insured and are not protected by government agencies. Hence, they cannot be recovered if the secret keys are stolen by a hacker or lost to a failed hard drive, or due to the closure of a Bitcoin exchange. If the secret keys are lost, the associated Bitcoins cannot be recovered and would be out of circulation. Visit this link for an FAQ on Bitcoins.

I believe that Bitcoin will gain more acceptance from the public because users can remain anonymous while buying goods and services online, transactions fees are much lower than credit card payment networks; the public ledger is accessible by anyone, which can be used to prevent fraud; the currency supply is capped at 21 million, and the payment network is operated by users and miners instead of a central authority.

However, I do not think that it is a great investment vehicle because it is extremely volatile and is not very stable. For example, the bitcoin price grew from around $14 to a peak of $1,200 USD this year before dropping to $632 per BTC at the time of writing.

Bitcoin surged this year because investors speculated that the currency would gain wider acceptance and that it would increase in price. The currency plunged 50% in December because BTC China (China's largest Bitcoin operator) announced that it could no longer accept new deposits due to government regulations. And according to Bloomberg, the Chinese central bank barred financial institutions and payment companies from handling bitcoin transactions.

Bitcoin will likely gain more public acceptance over time, but its price is extremely volatile and very sensitive to news-such as government regulations and restrictions-that could negatively impact the currency.

Therefore, I do not suggest investors to invest in Bitcoins unless they were purchased at a less than $10 USD per BTC because this would allow for a much larger margin of safety.

Otherwise, I believe that it is much better to invest in stocks that have strong fundamentals, as well as great business prospects and management teams because the underlying companies have intrinsic values and are more predictable.

Disclosure: Victor Liang has has no positions in Bitcoins and has no plans to change his position in the next 72 hours.