The comment in this thread are powered by ignorance. Study the history of monetary systems going back around 690 years to present. Fiat currencies eventually fail due to government hubris. Bitcoin's algorithmic cap on units addresses that. Alt-coins are more transactional and many are more like businesses. BTC is going to continue to grow. Some tiny fraction of the alt-coin market will thrive and potentially have even larger market caps than BTC. These coins are getting traction for different reasons but BTC is an asset with staying power that provides a means for hedging against devaluing fiat currencies. Altcoins are going to take margin away from financial services entities by empowering transactions that won't require intermediaries. I think that crypto currencies are an innovation with many positive attributes.