That's definitely a real concern for some countries, but Zimbabwe has only used other currencies for years. When I went 5 years ago, you could pay for your entrance visa in either USD, GBP, or EUR. All large grocery stores had that day's exchange rates posted near the entrance in USD, ZAR, and at least one other currency (GBP, EUR, or Botswana pula are the ones I remember).

Things have changed in the 5 years - Zimbabwe now has a (quasi)currency - the "Bond notes" which are officially 1:1 with the USD. Getting access to cash in this quasi-currency is hard, getting it in USD is well-neigh impossible^w^w expensive.

.... but bitcoin frequently jumps 25% a day on NON-domestic news.... how is it a better store of value?

Historically, Bitcoin has had high short-run volatility but also strong longer-term appreciation trend. That means it's been a good store of value, but not one you want, ideally, to rely on in situations where you might want money on short notice with little control of timing.

(Whether it's reasonable to project that past behavior into the future is another discussion, of course.)

That still beats hyperinflation or the currency collapsing outright. Also, what other investment options do you have? I have no idea how easy or hard it is to buy Vanguard shares on short notice in Zimbabwe.

Probably not hard for the elite or upper class, if you have access to the internet and an interactive brokers account.

There hasn't been hyperinflation in Zimbabwe for years. The main currency is USD, with some parallel use of South African Rand, Botswana Pula and Zambian Kwatsha.

You can’t store Vanguard shares in your brain.

> .... but bitcoin frequently jumps 25% a day on NON-domestic news.... how is it a better store of value?

Z$ record inflation was 79,600,000,000% a month[0] before it disappeared. Bitcoin's short term volatility looks quite manageable in comparison.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_Zimbabwe#Inf...

No it doesn't. It hasn't done for a long time.

No it doesn't. It has been several years since that was true. Big jumps these days are 5-10%. The recent drop during the BCH pump and dump didn't even get to 25% in day. I would encourage you to consult charts, as most of those memes are out of date.

3 days ago till now was a 25% jump in price. I was on record saying it was a good idea to buy in at $5800: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15679776 it's currently $7200.

And 60 days ago I said to buy in at $3k: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15259134

After Bitcoin crashes, it's always a good idea to buy.

A 25% fluctuation is still the norm. Sure, it takes 3 days rather than 1 day, but it's not mistaken.

I love when my store of value jumps 25% in a day.

That's the the opposite of inflation. Relative to bitcoin, prices of goods and services are decreasing.

bitcoin = fluctuation = jumps up and down

prices = inflation = jumps up and up

if you need bitcoin to buy toilet paper, why not just buy toilet paper

With what?

Zimbabwe has been in a hyperinflation downward spiral for almost two decades now[1].

If you hold your Zimbabwe Dollars overnight, they are only worth a fraction of what they were the day before. In hyper-inflationary periods, people would rather buy goods immediately than hold onto cash because the cash depreciates FAR faster than commodities.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_Zimbabwe#/me...

His joke is that Zimbabwean dollars are toilet paper.

No, I wasn't joking. I was asking sincerely, if you're reason for holding bitcoin is that you want to be able to buy goods next week without worrying about inflation, why not just buy the goods now and avoid the risk of owning bitcoin.

But if you spend all your money on goods and then you need something else in a week or two then what do you use to buy it? Sell/trade the goods you already purchased? I think it makes sense to hold on to some form of currency.

> some form of currency

Which form? At some point Zimbabwe economy was (is?) so fucked up that currency does not hold any value, so barter is all there is. Money literally evaporates overnight:

> The peak month of hyperinflation occurred in mid-November 2008 with a rate estimated at 79,600,000,000% per month

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_Zimbabwe

Exactly. I meant Bitcoin or other crypto currency

doesn't work for apples or prescriptions

there have been several problems with clogged pipes on Zimbabwe due to the usage of dollar notes as toilet paper.

You can go anywhere in the world and use USD, or exchange it for local currency.

BTC is accepted pretty much nowhere, and it's difficult to exchange for any given currency.

I can't fathom for a second why BTC would be more popular than BTC at least on those terms. Exchanges may be more readily available for BTC, as USD movement is controlled, you need banks etc..

Especially given the level of technology required ... I don't think that Zimbabwe is realistically the driving force here.

...PH?