Bitcoin Trading

Like any financial asset, the price of Bitcoin is dictated by the laws of supply and demand. Bitcoin has always been compared to gold in this regard, in that there is a finite number of coins that will ever be available. Beyond that, market participants will, over time, determine the fair value of Bitcoin depending on its use cases and adoption. Another major price influencer is media coverage. In its early years, the price of Bitcoin was constrained as the media branded it a passing cloud and a coin for the dark web. In this age of social media, such negative coverage can scare potential investors. However, positive media coverage of both Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain technology has provided favourable fundamentals for the foremost cryptocurrency and emboldened investors. Bitcoin trading may be decentralised, but the power of major governments around the world cannot be ignored. Bitcoin has been the subject of frequent changes in regulation in various aspects, including taxation. Part of the reason the price of Bitcoin fell sharply after the highs of late 2017 was massive regulatory pressures from China. But regulation is not necessarily a negative fundamental. In some instances, positive regulation serves as a tool to legitimise Bitcoin as a mainstream financial asset, and this can lead to increased demand. Bitcoin’s price is also influenced by what happens within the Bitcoin community. Part of the reason the price of Bitcoin surged during the COVID-19 pandemic can be linked to the halving that happened in May 2020. Bitcoin halving is when the reward for mining Bitcoin is halved. This theoretically limits the supply of Bitcoin as the incentive to mine is reduced. With supply limited, demand increases, and the price of Bitcoin increases as well. How To Profit from Bitcoin Trading When the Market Goes Down Bitcoin is a highly volatile asset, with changing sentiment capable of driving prices from one extreme to another. The market can experience overzealous optimism one moment and then quickly change to dark pessimism. At the end of the day, though, investors have to file their taxes whether prices are rising or falling. Luckily for investors, Bitcoin is subject to capital gains tax. This presents a unique opportunity for claiming tax deductibles when prices are plunging. If you suffer a loss from your Bitcoin investment, you are entitled to include the details so as to reduce your overall tax liability. For a Bitcoin loss to be ‘valid’, it has to be realised. This means that you have to liquidate your position. You can only suffer a loss when you sell Bitcoin at a lower price than you bought it. If prices fall, but you do not sell, that is an unrealised loss and does not qualify for a tax deduction. For instance, if you bought 1btc at $40,000, but the price is now $35,000, and you sell it, you will have realised a loss of $5,000. If you file your returns, you can claim a capital loss worth $5,000. In the US, capital losses can be claimed up to a maximum of $3,000. But the good thing is that excess loss can be rolled over to subsequent years indefinitely. So, if in 2020 you suffered a loss of $5,000, you are entitled to tax-deductible of up to $3,000, and you can carry forward the additional loss of $2,000 to 2021. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are inherently volatile. The good days are cherished, but the bad days need not be stressful. By using this tax-harvesting trick, you will be able to reduce your tax liability when Bitcoin prices fall.