CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 78.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
US English

Crypto regulators may see 10% household exposure as high watermark

By Reuters_News


Updated

Representations of virtual cryptocurrencies are placed on U.S. Dollar banknotes in this illustration taken November 28, 2021.
Representations of virtual cryptocurrencies are placed on U.S. Dollar banknotes in this illustration taken November 28, 2021.

By Mike Dolan

- Whatever the broader financial or economic stability risks of volatile crypto tokens, government watchdogs may reasonably balk at 10% household exposure to loosely-regulated speculative punts that double or halve in value every 6 months.

So far this year the leading crypto 'currencies' such as Bitcoin BTC= and Ether Eth= have dropped 40-50% and there's been an earthquake in the parallel 'stablecoin' world of supposedly pegged tokens that act as links from regular finance to the twilight zone of crypto, or 'decentralised', finance. 

Another typical year in the nether regions of finance? Caveat emptor, some might say.

But the latest twists touched another nerve among governments and central banks who fear they've let this ecosystem get out of hand without proper oversight or adequate transparency to reach levels beyond which they may find it difficult to control or shore up.

G7 finance chiefs meeting in Germany late last week cited the crypto turmoil and urged its Financial Stability Board "to advance the swift development and implementation of consistent and comprehensive regulation." 

French central bank chief Francois Villeroy de Galhau reinforced the message this week and upped the urgency at the World Economic Forum in Davos, warning of lax investment protection as well as money laundering risks.

"It's an emergency question now... I strongly hope we will have this regulation in Europe this year," Villeroy said.

While still relatively small compared to stocks, bonds or real estate, two surveys released this week from the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank show that at least 10% of all households in both regions have dabbled in crypto as an investment over 2021.

The Fed's annual "Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking" report polled 11,000 adults late last year and painted a relative picture of rude health for consumer finances overall - conducted though it was before one of the worst starts to a year in more than 20 years.

Asking about cryptocurrency for the first time, the survey found 12% of adults used or held cryptocurrency for investment in the previous 12 months. Less than 3% had any reason to use it for payment or remittance purposes.

While this might pale against estimates of just over 50% of U.S. households holding stocks for saving or retirement, it's likely an uncomfortably large share for governments who see these tokens as having little or no use or value longer term and who fret about financial sharks burning inexperienced savers.

And if, as some estimate, a majority of those holding the tokens arrived over the past year and are underwater at levels over $30,000 or less, then damage limitation may be the first task of watchdogs and governments. 

US100

18,280.50 Price
-0.050% 1D Chg, %
Long position overnight fee -0.0262%
Short position overnight fee 0.0040%
Overnight fee time 21:00 (UTC)
Spread 1.8

BTC/USD

70,779.45 Price
+2.750% 1D Chg, %
Long position overnight fee -0.0616%
Short position overnight fee 0.0137%
Overnight fee time 21:00 (UTC)
Spread 106.00

XRP/USD

0.63 Price
+2.520% 1D Chg, %
Long position overnight fee -0.0753%
Short position overnight fee 0.0069%
Overnight fee time 21:00 (UTC)
Spread 0.01168

Gold

2,220.21 Price
+1.200% 1D Chg, %
Long position overnight fee -0.0188%
Short position overnight fee 0.0106%
Overnight fee time 21:00 (UTC)
Spread 0.30

ECB chief Christine Lagarde, for one, said this week that Bitcoin and the hundreds of other lesser-known tokens were basically 'worth nothing'.

WORTHLESS?

And for those who think it's all just a bit of high-octane fun for wealthy folk who can afford to lose some marginal funds in a puff of smoke, there were other sobering details in the Fed survey. While almost half invested in crypto had annual incomes of $100,000 or more, almost a third earned less than $50,000.

The ECB's Consumer Expectation Survey, meantime, chimed with the Fed findings and showed as many as 10% of euro zone households now own crypto tokens in one shape or form. 

Much like the Fed estimate, it showed a "U-shaped" curve in the income quintiles and financial literacy of those invested - concentrated either in richer and highly educated households who could perhaps afford to lose the punt, but also in low income households with low financial literacy scores.

Middle income groups appear to have given the whole thing a bodyswerve.

The question then is whether - much like the marketing of highly speculative and volatile stock or bond funds to retail investors - regulators should finally demand overhaul of rules on marketing, celebrity-endorsed advertising or easy access to these tokens on fintech banking apps or trading portals.

And now may be the time to act while the potential macroeconomic fallout still be limited and before crypto too becomes 'too big to fail."

Goldman Sachs estimates the global market for crypto dropped by about a trillion dollars to $1.3 trillion since late last year, with U.S. households exposed to one third of that hit.

Comparing that decline to overall US household net worth of $150 trillion, it saw little additional drag on the wider economy and felt the 20% drop in stocks over the same time would have far more impact.

But for Deutsche Bank analyst Marion Laboure the game is up already. Curbing the speculative excesses of some of the more marginal coins will likely defeat the attraction for many people of being there at all and for those tokens that threaten to rival existing currencies, the hammer will come down harder.

"Many historical examples highlight the power of regulatory bodies to maintain financial stability," she wrote. "Regulation is coming sooner rather than later."

Rate this article

The difference between trading assets and CFDs
The main difference between CFD trading and trading assets, such as commodities and stocks, is that you don’t own the underlying asset when you trade on a CFD.
You can still benefit if the market moves in your favour, or make a loss if it moves against you. However, with traditional trading you enter a contract to exchange the legal ownership of the individual shares or the commodities for money, and you own this until you sell it again.
CFDs are leveraged products, which means that you only need to deposit a percentage of the full value of the CFD trade in order to open a position. But with traditional trading, you buy the assets for the full amount. In the UK, there is no stamp duty on CFD trading, but there is when you buy stocks, for example.
CFDs attract overnight costs to hold the trades (unless you use 1-1 leverage), which makes them more suited to short-term trading opportunities. Stocks and commodities are more normally bought and held for longer. You might also pay a broker commission or fees when buying and selling assets direct and you’d need somewhere to store them safely.
Capital Com is an execution-only service provider. The material provided in this article is for information purposes only and should not be understood as investment advice. Any opinion that may be provided on this page does not constitute a recommendation by Capital Com or its agents and has not been prepared in accordance with the legal requirements designed to promote investment research independence. While the information in this communication, or on which this communication is based, has been obtained from sources that Capital.com believes to be reliable and accurate, it has not undergone independent verification. No representation or warranty, whether expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy or completeness of any information obtained from third parties. If you rely on the information on this page, then you do so entirely at your own risk.

Still looking for a broker you can trust?

Join the 580.000+ traders worldwide that chose to trade with Capital.com

1. Create & verify your account 2. Make your first deposit 3. You’re all set. Start trading