Cryptocurrencies have crazy intraday volatility

This is not news to anyone who follows blockchain or the cryptocurrency space within the field of alternative investments, but... man.  Just man.  The main cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have had approximately 13% and 30% price volatility over the past 24 hours.  By the end of today it could be even higher.  On the one hand, if traders are somehow able to maneuver through these currencies and capture some of the upside, their annualized returns can be astronomical.  Just wow size.  And the main currencies are liquid enough for individual traders to move in and out without taking the market with them.  But on the other hand, it all seems so chaotic, how does one catch the falling knife and when do you buy the dips or avoid getting caught holding... which is where some recent Bitcoin traders may find themselves right now.  Deep thoughts.

Salute to everyone brave enough to trade in this market, I tip my cap to you, this is the craziest up/down sector I have seen ever... so far as I can recall personally.  Carbon was also volatile but it quickly fell to zero over the same time these cryptocurrencies have arisen and kept their values/liquidity.  Perhaps because carbon was a pure reglatory paper asset, while cryptocurrencies actually have growing monetary exchange and transaction uses worldwide.  What is money anyway - just some valueless thing we assign value to... used to be rocks, then moved to metals and paper... perhaps now to blockchain code.  I can't get my mind fully around this yet to be honest, wouldn't be surprised whatever happens.

2017's Most Influential People in Blockchain

With the rising interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain generally, and the daily value growth/fluctiation for coins, ICOs and their related contract applications, this is a really hot topic indeed.

Here is Coindesk's list of the most influential people in blockchain for 2017 - these people were prime movers and the shakers  in very moving and shaking industry!  Congratulations to the ones on this list and all the others who are helping to drive this industry forward.

https://www.coindesk.com/category/most-influential-2017/

World Bank Lends Belarus $90 Million For Wood Biomass Heating Projects

The World Bank has loaned US$90 million to the Republic of Belarus for converting municipal district heating stations from gas to biomass wood fuel.  The project involves the replacement of existing gas boilers by biomass boilers, provision of wood chipping equipment and biomass fuel storage facilities, installation of individual building-level heat substations with temperature control, and upgrading of district heating networks.

“Forest is one of Belarus’s richest natural resources. The full potential of wood biomass as alternative renewable energy resource has yet to be realized in Belarus,” stated Young Chul Kim, World Bank Country Manager for Belarus. “Using low-quality wood, now treated as industrial waste, for heat and power generation will also contribute to the development of the wood processing industry, and is consistent with the national overall strategy to encourage sustainable forest management. It also allows new jobs and business opportunities to be created in these sectors.”

Previously Belarus has relied on Russian gas to run its heating stations, and the Government of Belarus has a goal to replace this gas with local fuels, mainly biomass, by 32 percent in 2020. Further details and information are available on the World Bank's website at http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2014/03/31/world-bank-belarus-energy-sector.

Kind regards
Jon