For once ahead of the professionals, private individuals rush on the bitcoin and new currencies. There are already nearly 13 million of them in the United States alone.
Individuals' interest in bitcoin is a fundamental trend. The exchange rate of the currency, which on Sunday for the first time exceeded $9000, proved them right. Its price has increased eightfold since the beginning of the year.
The digital gold rush
In the United States, the New Currency Exchange, Coinbase, already has nearly 13 million investors, or almost 4% of the American population. Forced democratization, for a cryptomoney born in hiding.
The Millennials motto
In a survey conducted in the autumn by BlockChain Capital among 2,000 people, 2% of respondents said they hold bitcoins, a share that doubles for the age group 18-34 years old, the "Millennials", the "Y generation" born before the year 2000, which is well versed in new technologies and has found in the bitcoin a motto in its image, nomadic, free and uncomplexed.
As proof of their optimism and confidence, only one in five would sell their bitcoins if they received them. 31% would keep them and 12% would use them for their expenses.
Target $196,000
U. S. consumers who already own bitcoins are even more optimistic according to the Lendedu survey of 564 investors. Two-thirds did not give up bitcoins. They have not taken their profits despite successive records, and they set the price at which they will sell their entire portfolio at $196,000... 40% plan to stay invested for 1 to 3 years.
According to BlockChain Capital, one in five people plan to buy bitcoins in the next five years. Male Millennials are twice as numerous (41%). On the other hand, 80% of people over 65 do not want to invest. Enthusiasm for bitcoin diminishes with age, as retirees become more cautious with their savings. Women are also more cautious: one in seven wants to invest against one in four men.
When asked whether the bitcoin was a financial bubble, nearly one in two respondents said yes, 10% did not believe it and 41% did not know. This uncertainty is shared by almost all age groups. The Millennials are a little less convinced than other age groups that they are dealing with a bubble.
Institutional Prudence
Institutional investors surveyed by Triad Securities are more distrustful than individuals: 40% think that the speculative bubble will burst, and 27% think that prices will continue to rise but at a much slower pace. Only 16% of institutional investors had been buying bitcoins for more than 6 months, and 14% recently. They are even less, 8%, to have invested in "ICO", the emission of tokens. They are very divided on whether bitcoin offers protection like gold as a safe haven.
Finally, one out of five people equate bitcoin with a currency and 17% with a raw material. 11% of individuals see bitcoin as a technology and equate their investment with a bet on a technology group, as if bitcoin were the "Google 2.0 currency" .