This will be a short post.
NEO (formerly known as Antshares) is currently gaining significant traction. However, most people don't realize that NEO/Antshares are not the equivalent of Ether.
When you hold NEO, you actually hold shares over the NEO platform. This is why NEO shares are often traded in whole numbers. The GAS (formerly know as Antcoins) are traded in decimals. The primary benefit of holding NEO/Ant shares is that they generate GAS (among other things, such as voting for nodes). Think of it like holding shares in a company and receiving dividends. The common assumption is that the shares are the primary source of value on the network. This is a mistaken thought. Here is why:
• To do anything on the platform, you need to pay the network in GAS;
• GAS generation is capped at 100 million and is expected to be reached in 22 years;
• Shareholders generate GAS equivalent to their stake; and
• GAS generation slows over time.
Here is an excerpt from the Whitepaper (English translation):
In the first year (Block No. 0-No. 2,000,000), 8 ANC will be generated by every new block. In the second year (Block No. 2,000,000-No. 4,000,000), 7 ANC will be generated by every new block. With this pace of decrease (-1 ANC per year), in the 8th year, only 1 ANC will be generated by every new block. This 1-block-1-ANC pace will continue since then, till the 44,000,000th block in the 22nd year, fulfilling the 100 million total sum of ANC. ANC shall cease to be generated after that. (https://github.com/neo-project/neo/wiki/Whitepaper-1.1#issuance-of-antcoins)
So, depending on your use of the platform (as a stakeholder, user or otherwise), the value of both GAS and NEO shares is apparent. If you believe in the NEO platform, then you need to set your eyes on the GAS too.
It is currently sitting at a 16 million market cap and recently opened trading on Binance.