There's a lot of curiosity about crypto currencies now that they're starting to widely roll out as alternatives to other investments in 401(k)s and other savings programs, but how much of it is hype?
Some forms of crypto such as "meme coins" are produced as a joke and there are lots of versions of crypto, the most popular of which is Bitcoin.
In an appearance on one radio/TV talk show Friday, President Donald Trump's son Eric was noted to be working with one Bitcoin company and told the show's host that "Bitcoin is growing faster than the internet was, I mean crypto is roughly where the internet was in 1999."
Stock trading professional Derrick Kinney is skeptical of that statement, though. Growing as fast as the internet 25 years ago?
"I don't think that it is, no. Keep in mind when someone wants to create a picture of something in happening, they talk about it all the time and because most people don't do their own research, they begin to believe it."
Really, "is it growing as fast as the internet, I can't say but I do know that more and more people are investing in it and what I do tell people is: if you don't have money to lose, do not invest in Bitcoin," Mr. Kinney says.
Bitcoin, like other such coins, does have the promise of a bright future depending on how widely accepted it becomes (it's been around for more than 15 years and is only now becoming widely available for buying groceries) and whether the crypto concept of an independent currency can be adopted by financial institutions, preferably worldwide.
Those conditions are slowly being met and it may not be too much longer before digital currencies become the norm, but their complex nature (the digital aspect) and their endless energy requirements (the power aspect) make them the subject of a lot of scrutiny these days, both by investors and by government agencies curious about their sustainability.
But Eric Trump is certainly right that Bitcoin is a hot topic and calling it a path to the monetary future is a hot take.
Kinney says, "It has a lot of attention on it, and when things have a spotlight on them they tend to generate a lot more interest and more curiosity."