Despite the negative press that HitBTC has been receiving over the last couple of months, it still remains one of my favorite exchange to trade cryptocurrency. It has one of the better interface and responsive chart that allows you to place trades. It is one of the few exchanges where you can find some of your favorite altcoin with decent volume apart from Binance and to lesser extent Bittrex. One of the problems HitBTC has been facing is the fact that many of its wallets often go into "Maintenance" without notice of when it would be back up. Another problem I often read about HitBTC is the fact that much of the volume is "fake". It is a complain that plagues many cryptocurrency exchanges, one of the things I can certainly say about the trading pairs I trade, the volume is as real as it gets on any cryptocurrency exchange. Nonetheless, the trading volume on many of the altcoins that usually experience significant trading volume is gone. Its hard to pinpoint what exactly is the case, whether its 'FUD' getting the better of the exchange and customers moving their money elsewhere or the brutal Bear Market that has seen many altcoin continue in the graveyard while Bitcoin has rallied and approaching all-time highs. Its hard to tell what exactly is the cause in the drop in volume.
Given the fact that Binance, Bittrex and Poloniex has been on a delisting spree, many of the altcoins that once capture the imagination of many are now found exclusively on HitBTC. Whether that is enough to draw traders back to the exchange is another story, only time would tell. I believe altcoins need to make a turnaround, and probably we see better volumes on some alts on HitBTC. Some are saying altcoins are dead, probably some are dead but it only takes one spark and the mania starts all over again. For me personally, HitBTC is the home for trading some of my favorite altcoins, namely SBD/BTC, ETH/BTC, BCH/BTC, DOGE/BTC and BCN/BTC. I really like to see things pick up on some of those pairs again especially DOGE/BTC, SBD/BTC and BCN/BTC.
Irregardless of your opinion on altcoins, they remain part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem adding joy and excitement to many and more importantly getting more and more people involve in cryptocurrency and learning about money. Here is a fun fact about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, it has taught more people about money (including myself) than anything else. Many of the altcoins have different economic models an we are seeing how those models weather different economic scenarios. Probably its the best example of economics and beliefs system at work while we desperately try to solve some of the inherent problem of our debt-driven fiat system.