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Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by troupo on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @04:05AM (#42930016)
If the value of your coin only goes up in value, why would you use 1 bitcoin now to buy a pizza slice if you can use it 5-10 years from now to buy a house?
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by oneeyedpigeon on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @04:46AM (#42930334)
A house in 5-10 years is nice, but it doesn't stop me from starving to death today.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by hagbarth on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @04:53AM (#42930377)
I think it was just an analogy. The incentives are to defer purchases, if possible, which lower economic activity overall.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by oneeyedpigeon on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @04:55AM (#42930394)
Sure, my point was that there are many reasons someone might spend money today that might be better off saved for the future, however much it may increase in value.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by troupo on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @08:14AM (#42931884)
> there are many reasons someone might spend money today

Yes, because that's the value of money. Bitcoin isn't money. It's a speculative asset precisely because people are hoping its value will only go up.

Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by oneeyedpigeon on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @09:57AM (#42933147)
I'm speaking from experience. I literally spent Bitcoin last week that I would rather have held, because I needed the money.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by troupo on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @10:25AM (#42933511)
And yet, en masse Bitcoin is used as speculative investment, not money.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by npoc on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @07:57AM (#42947847)
All investments are speculative.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by robertlagrant on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @11:14AM (#42934307)
> It's a speculative asset precisely because people are hoping its value will only go up.

This is the same for any currency trading.

Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by fastasucan on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @05:46PM (#42940190)
Yes, bur you dont want to limit your populations spending to just those essential items.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by dlubarov on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @11:25AM (#42934485)
There are other ways to encourage spending though, like a wealth tax. Not that I necessarily support it, but that would be the more comprehensive solution to hoarding, since it couldn't be worked around by just exchanging fiat for other assets like gold.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by freejazz on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @10:59AM (#42934066)
And who doesn't want to live in an economy where your purchasing decisions are made with the hunger of starvation!
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by lxgr on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @12:02PM (#42935229)
That's exactly the problem: People will (rationally!) limit their spending to bare necessities if they expect the currency they have on hand to strongly appreciate over time.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by npoc on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @07:54AM (#42947828)
Imagine that, having the option of saving your money for things you really want instead of being forced to spend it on things you don't, or risk lending it out for essentially free to compensate for the continuous fall in value.
Re:El Salvador abandons Bitcoin as legal tender after failed... by Ferret7446 on Friday February 07, 2025 @05:35AM (#42971208)
That implies that 1. it is a problem and 2. that people are rational. The latter is definitely not true, and the former is definitely arguable.