The main differences between Bitcoin and the forex market

First of all, one of the most important differences between Bitcoin and the forex market. Bitcoin is a digital currency, independent of any government or institution (decentralization), while the major players in the forex market are central and commercial banks.

Long-term investment, or daily trading?

Bitcoin is seen as an investment, which is often bought in anticipation of an increase in its value due to its deflationary character. This is determined by the fact that the best strategy for digital currencies is to invest in them and expect the growth. At the beginning of its existence Bitcoin was worth a few cents, recently reached a worth of 12 thousand dollars for one coin (data from August 2020), so in the longer term Bitcoin is more volatile than typical currency pairs (especially major ones such as EUR/USD or GBP/USD). It is said that Bitcoin is a virtual gold, it means that it has characteristics features for stocks.

Recently, Bitcoin is not longer seen as only an investment, because of the ability to pay that currency in many places around the world.

Bitcoin, it's not just value - it's also blockchain.

Daily trading in this case may seem risky, but Bitcoin works quite differently. We will explain it in the following example.

Transfers in FIAT currencies are dependent on the bank sessions and the risk of exchange rate changes is minimal, due to high price stability. In case when we make a transfer on Friday evening, the money will be available on the account on Monday morning.

In case of Bitcoin, if the transfer would be commissioned on Friday evening and received on Monday, the difference in the price could be significant. Bitcoin, thanks to the decentralization and power of the network, can be delivered immediately. This is the reason that the payment processors have been created to allow contractors to exchange the money instantly. Thanks to them, the time barrier does not matter, and the money is transferred immediately in the currency of which the seller has chosen.

If you want to exchange funds by the stable exchange rate, it is possible in the currency exchange offices. zondacrypto Exchange is an example of this. The exchange, on the other hand, allows us to sell or buy funds directly from other participants, which causes the possibility of occurring more attractive prices.

Liquidity factors

The major difference between Bitcoin and the forex market are actually the liquidity factors. Forex is the largest and most liquid market in the world, where the average daily turnover can be in the trillion dollars. Bitcoin is a smaller market worth about $137 billion (data from August 2017).

Liquidity is the degree to which the market allows you to buy and sell assets at stable prices. The greater the liquidity, the more stable the market is, and the prices do not hesitate significantly. If there is a $1 million transaction in the day, the market is able to absorb this transaction easily, without much change in the dollar value. In the case of Bitcoin, the same transaction may have a much greater effect on the value of the digital currency due to the relatively small trade volume. For the prices stability, the demand for Bitcoin has to be compatible with inflation.

Bitcoin and other digital currencies are the most developing market in the world.

Bitcoin exchange vs forex market activity

Bitcoin works for 7 days a week, for 24 hours. The forex market is open 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday. During the weekend, as well as during important holidays, the market is resting. This is important information for investors, because the market at such moments can be irrational and difficult to deal speculative transactions.

Opening the forex market 24 hours a day, for 5 days a week is both an advantage and a big challenge for investors due to the inability to participate in the market live all the time. That's why special tools that work 24 hours a day have been created, to ensure that participants do not have to monitor their open positions independently. The biggest moves are noticeable on this market in the middle of the week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

In the case of Bitcoin, its strong advantage is the 24/7 opening, due to the decentralization and lack of regulation of the digital currency, which means that we do not need financial institutions such as banks to exchange them. Stock exchanges automatically connect traders to investors at any time of the day or night.

Factors affecting the value of courses

Due to the limited amount of Bitcoin on the market and its low liquidity (due to the freshness of this market, which has the highest growth at the moment), its purchase at a favorable price may take a bit longer than for fiat currencies (eg. USD, EUR, PLN). If someone is keen on buying Bitcoin quickly, he will issue an order for a higher price than other pending orders. In this way, the price of digital currency is rising. It falls when the seller decreases the price dynamically or successively.

The behavior of exchange rates available on the forex market can be influenced by different events (political, social, economic, etc.). The publication of macroeconomic data such as GDP growth, monetary policy or central bank reports has the greatest impact on the high volatility of this market. The variability of course rates is much more dynamic here than in Bitcoin case.
 

To sum up - the main differences between Bitcoin and the forex market are the factors affecting the value of the courses, the liquidity factors that affect market stability, the opening hours, and the fact that Bitcoin is more dynamic, ideal for daytrading and also for long-term investment because of the deflation character of this currency.