The issue with predictions is that you can very easily look like an idiot when none of them come true. Despite this, let’s do it anyway! As a disclaimer, I have no idea whether these things are going to happen or not – they’re just hunches, so don’t bet your house on them coming true.
The bear market will continue until at least June, and probably even further
Despite this prediction, I expect progress will continue to be made on advances in Bitcoin. The most important of these will be within the Lightning Network. With further expansion of the Lightning Network, user experience will also improve, making the network easier to use for those lacking technical skill and knowledge. This will further increase the capacity of the network. Also, expect to see more atomic swaps being tested throughout the year as the technology advances.
Such advances will have a knock-on effect for Bitcoin’s forks, Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin SV. Both will continue to have extremely loud voices with the usual shills and badmouthing of Bitcoin, but without much actual progress being made on their own chains. Coins that are underrated will continue to make progress, and you will be less likely to hear from them, as instead of shouting via social media, they will continue to build.
The community will continue to be salty
The correlation between the bear market and salty behaviour in the cryptocurrency space is predictable. As people continue to lose money, bickering and name-calling continues. Again, though, positives can be taken from this. Those who continue their hunt to get rich quick will hopefully fade into insignificance, and much like terrible altcoins, will be purged from the community. Unfortunately, we can expect a new wave of them if a bull run begins once more.
New scams will continue to replace those that die
Despite cryptocurrencies being 10 years old, the prevalence of scams is still yet to subside. The continuation of the bear market will mean that some scams will soon start to run out of money and die a slow and painful death. However, with so much money still there for the taking, new ones will arise to replace them. The path has already been set, and the same lies we heard the first time will be wheeled out once more about a new Bitcoin killer.
Ripple and XRP will continue to face questions
The debate over Ripple and XRP with regards to the SEC and whether or not it’s a security will continue to rumble on during 2019. Despite the strength of the #XRParmy, there are many who are suspicious of Ripple’s claims about XRP and their attempts to distance themselves from any SEC-related questions. Whether Ripple’s claims are true remains to be seen, but what is certain is that the rumblings will continue.
The above are but a few predictions for 2019. What do you think will happen? Drop me a tweet and let me know what 2019 is going to look like!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.