Hi @bjbart and @rapstar

Forgive my ignorance I was trying to access betashares ticker CRYP through my CommSec portfolio and it’s not coming up. What am I missing?

I should have disclosed I don’t hold this or any crypto directly, but I own a couple of Bitcoin miners. I just thought it was interesting & relevant.

Replying to myself. That is weird. Just an update for those who are interested CRYP is now available through CommSec this morning. I am buying a small allotment - coin base exposure really interesting offering. Like being involved in a science experiment.

Hearing about crypto and understanding is something completely different. The technology is understandable, the use case, initially questionable is rapidly improving. The reasons for the wild swings – anyone who tells you they know the reason – see below.

You could try to understand it from Finfluencers – but that apparently does not always work out: https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/finfluencer-follower-wins-nearly-500-000-in-court-over-failed-investment-20211015-p59094.html

I tried watching some crypto Finfluencers (seriously Shaq being a philosophiser is a better word) videos on YouTube, and…well they are kind of like the stonk Finfluencers. Full of bull to put it mildly. 

But people want to believe. We have seen Doge and more recently Shiba be ramped to da moon by Elon Musk. And if you want to see something incredible, check the Squid Game coin chart. Excuse the language – farkity fark – both on the upside and downside. 

Another way you could learn is talk to your learned mates who “got in early”. Yeah, don’t do that. They know less than Finfluencers (and probably philosophisers) and if you missed reading between the lines, they know nothing.

Yet another way, dive in and this is an approach I recommend but start small. Did I mention volatility? Brisbane based Swyftx for example, provides an easy way to buy crypto without the headaches of old such as crypto addresses and hardware wallets. These are trading platforms though; you won’t be able to buy a pizza with Swyftx or one of the competitors. 

Oh, and while I like pizza, don’t be that guy that drops BTC on pizza: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/bitcoin-pizza-day-laszlo-hanyecz-spent-3-8-billion-on-pizzas-in-the-summer-of-2010-using-the-novel-crypto-11621714395

For those that I haven’t lost and are still reading, the world now has an ETF for everything so why not crypto? But beware, it’s just not cricket. 

This first BetaShares crypto ETF on the ASX will attempt to track the Bitwise Crypto Industry Innovators 30 Index, whatever that is, to capture the full breadth of the crypto ecosystem by providing exposure to pure-play crypto companies, those whose balance sheets are held at least 75% in crypto-assets, and diversified companies with crypto-focused business lines, or so the words on the packaging Indicate.

So…CRYP is not actually investing in crypto. Should you invest? If you are interested in investing (or possibly more accurately in 2021 speculating) in crypto, in my opinion, there are better avenues. 

Final thought, FOMO is not a good reason.

Hi All,

I have to make a correction to my post. The original information Betashares posted stated the ETF was intended to track the NASDAQ Blockchain Economy Index, but this is now not the case.

The ETF will effectively be the Bitwise Crypto Industry Innovators ETF. This is superior exposure to the sector than the NASDAQ Blockchain Economy Index, as 80% of the companies within the ETF must be "pure plays", that derive more than 75% of their revenue form cryptocurrency markets.

The fund's performance since inception in May has showed reasonable correlation to the Bitcoin Price, albeit with about half the volatility.

Year to date comparison:

• CRYP: 38% return since June 30.
• Bitcoin: 83% return since June 30.

DISC: I HOLD

While there are no ETF's which actually invest in direct Crypto assets - I see this ETF (CRYP) as in my mind a better option than "investing" in things like the recently listed US crypto ETF's like BITO - which invest in bitcoin futures and again not bitcoin itself

https://www.morningstar.com.au/Video/these-aren39t-the-bitcoin-etfs-you39re-looking-for/216140

DISC: I too have an insignificant/miniscule holding in this

Hi @Remorhaz,

Me too -pull out a microscope to find my holdings but it went through today. It stayed at exactly my entry price and didn't tank immediately. I will have no squid game coin tale to regale publicans with. I like the picks and shovels approach. I prefer to dip my toe in with infrastructure and tech and access to crypto rather than crypto itself right now. Although I do find Etherium interesting. Maybe split a small holding 50/50 Etherium and Bitcoin in the future. More of a cerebral exercise right now. Force me to get more savvy prior to my random wheel spinning attempts and entry and my flimsy thesis on future predictions of digital currency. I will let my magic 8 ball guide me for now until something or someone more convincing comes along.