Why Vitalik Buterin is ditching Ether for stablecoins

Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a virtual currency designed to serve as money. This form of payment cannot be controlled by any person, group or entity, which eliminates the need for third parties to participate during financial transactions.

Altcoins are any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, but some consider Ethereum to be a non-altcoin because it is from these two cryptocurrencies that the fork occurs. If this is true, then Litecoin is the first altcoin, forked from the Bitcoin protocol and therefore an “improved” version of it.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have a stable price, with their value backed by a reserve of the asset they represent. To achieve this, the value of any stablecoin is tied to a commodity or financial instrument, such as the US dollar (USD), with its supply regulated by an algorithm or demand. The main purpose of stablecoins is to provide an on/off ramp for investors who want to trade and invest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins also allow investors to store value, as cryptocurrencies in general are subject to volatility.

Bitcoin dominance is the ratio of Bitcoin’s market cap to the total market cap of all cryptocurrencies combined. It provides a clear picture of Bitcoin interest among investors. A high dominance of BTC usually occurs before and during a bull run, where investors resort to investing in relatively stable and high market capitalization cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. A decline in BTC dominance usually means that investors move their capital and/or profits to altcoins in search of higher returns, which usually triggers a burst of altcoin rallies.