The NFT market has now virtually disappeared. Recent research shows that the vast majority of NFT tokens have no value and basically cannot be sold for any amount.
In the technological world, 2021 can be called the "year of NFT" (Non-Fungible Token). NFT transactions are estimated to have reached a total value of $25 billion over these 12 months, with August 2021 being particularly impressive when NFT sales reached a record $2.8 billion. However, the situation now seems completely different. According to a study published by dappGamble, in July this year the NFT market saw only $80 million in turnover, which is only 3% of the result achieved in the mentioned record month. But that's not all. This study analyzed 73,257 different NFT collections and found that as many as 95% of them, or 69,795 collections, currently have no market value. As a result, approximately 23 million people who invested in these token assets now have NFT wallets that are not worth a penny.
Additionally, it turns out that as many as 79% of all NFT collections remain unsold, which means that the supply of these assets far exceeds the demand. However, the NFT problem goes beyond the market aspect. The huge energy consumption in creating these tokens is another significant issue. The study focused on nearly 196,000 NFT collections that were generated but failed to find a buyer, consuming as much as 27.8 gigawatt hours of energy in the process. According to the results of this study, this is the equivalent of 16,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 2,000 homes, the emissions of 3,500 cars or the carbon footprint of 4,000 passengers traveling from London to Wellington, New Zealand.
In the current market, which includes 8,850 top NFT collections, it is noticeable that as many as 1,600 of them currently have no specific value. Of those that do have a price, 41% are valued between $5 and $100, while less than 1% are valued above $6,000. This clearly shows the contrast to the roaring success that NFTs had in their early days. However, it is important to remember that there are situations where NFTs still have practical applications and provide value. They can authenticate limited products, provide access to exclusive events or content, and integrate with games and other projects to provide additional functionality. Even though there is a visible decline in interest in NFTs, there are still areas where this technology can play an important role.
It is worth recalling that many NFT owners were lured into the trap by investing millions of dollars. They sued image creators, intermediaries, and celebrities who "encouraged" people to make purchases.
"The best investment of my life" - this is how Tom Stuker talks about buying a lifetime ticket for flights with United Airlines. He made the transaction over 30 years ago, and now he boasts about the number of kilometers traveled and visited countries.
In 1990, the American airline United Airlines offered for sale a lifetime ticket on any number of flights for the price of 290,000. dollars.
It has flown over 37 million kilometers
Tom Stuker from New Jersey took up the offer. Today, after 33 years, the man talks about how he used his special ticket. The man claims that buying the ticket was "the best investment of his life".
So far, the 69-year-old has flown over 37 million kilometers during over 12,000 miles. flights. Together with his wife, he has been to 100 countries and, as he says, on over 120 honeymoon months. Once he was even on a continuous plane trip for 12 days, changing machines. Stuker is a frequent visitor of the line, so some of the employees already know him. The man has his favorite seat on the 1B plane, which he often manages to occupy.
Miles for gift cards
Not only the "free" flights turned out to be a profitable investment. Stuker also took an active part in the loyalty program, where a point is collected for miles traveled in the air.
The man exchanged miles for gift cards, which he used or sold, and for the money earned, among others, renovated his brother's house.
The American middle class in the US has been shrinking for 50 years. It is attacked from both sides by people with individual incomes as well as those earning less.The Pew Research Center, whose study is cited by Statista, defines the middle class as people who earn between two-thirds and twice the median wage in the United States.
From 1970 to 2021, the share of the total income of people from this group in total income fell from 62 to 42 percent. On the other side of the equation are the richest people, for whom the corresponding value increased from 29 to 50 percent.
The percentage of people belonging to the “low income” group also increased (from 25 to 29 percent). However, their total income decreased (from 10 to 8 percent). The largest part of this group are Latinos and African Americans (approx. 40 percent each).
Gold has been a popular investment choice for centuries, and it continues to be a preferred asset for many investors. But is it worth investing in gold? In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of investing in gold to help you make an informed decision.
Pros of Investing in Gold:
- Diversification: Gold is an excellent diversifier that can help investors spread their portfolio risk. It has low correlation with other asset classes such as stocks and bonds, which means that when other assets decline, gold may remain stable or even increase in value.
- Hedge against inflation: Gold is often considered a hedge against inflation. During times of inflation, the value of paper currencies can decline, but the value of gold tends to increase, as it is considered a store of value.
- Safe-haven asset: Gold is often considered a safe-haven asset that investors turn to during times of market uncertainty or geopolitical turmoil. It tends to hold its value or even appreciate during times of economic and political instability.
- Tangible asset: Gold is a physical asset that can be held in your hand or stored in a safe deposit box. This tangible quality makes it a popular choice among investors who value the security and liquidity of physical assets.
Cons of Investing in Gold:
- No income: Unlike stocks and bonds, gold does not generate any income. Investors cannot expect to receive any dividend or interest payments from holding gold.
- Volatility: Gold prices can be highly volatile, which can be a risk for investors who are not comfortable with fluctuations in their investment value.
- Storage and insurance costs: Storing and insuring physical gold can be costly, especially for large holdings. Investors should factor in these costs when considering investing in gold.
- No guarantee of returns: There is no guarantee that investing in gold will result in returns. The price of gold can go up or down, and investors may experience losses if they sell their gold at a lower price than they bought it for.
Conclusion:
In summary, investing in gold can be a good option for diversification and as a hedge against inflation and market uncertainty. However, investors should consider the risks and costs associated with investing in gold, including its lack of income, volatility, storage and insurance costs, and no guarantee of returns. It is essential to have a well-diversified portfolio that includes other asset classes and to invest in gold only after considering your overall financial goals, risk tolerance, and investment horizon. Ultimately, the decision to invest in gold should be based on your personal financial situation and investment objectives.
Bulgaria has some of the lowest-priced property in the world, too, if you are looking to get a home or a apartment for the price of an used car. If you are dreaming about moving overseas, but costs are holding you back, Italy should be high on your search list, as it is been named as one of the worlds least expensive countries to buy a home. The Singapore Dollar is currently one of the worlds most expensive housing markets at $19,000/m2.
If you head over to Hong Kong -- commonly considered to be the worlds most expensive real estate market -- you will find real estate values of up to $29,000 per square meter. Our working definition of a low-cost property is anything below $1,000 per square metre ($91/ft2) you can find in a central area of a capital or commercial city. In the context of cheapest real estate in the US, we are just talking about the median purchase price for real estate in each city.
Now, before I dive into the best cities for investing in the cheapest properties, let us compare a few prices so that you can get a better idea of that $1,000 threshold and where you would expect to find it. Considering that the median house is over $1 million right now, the $500K property might qualify as inexpensive. This post provides a high-level look at prices per square foot on markets around the world, and shows how prices differ widely between cities.
This post covers how to spot super-cheap international property markets and when you can take advantage of the heavily discounted prices. Before discussing property prices in Ukraine, it is important to note that Ukraine offers some of the most diverse types of locations where you could potentially purchase a home or an inexpensive apartment. Whether you want to live in the heart of the city, tucked away in pine-forest mountains, or overlooking the sun-drenched beaches, you will find high-quality, modern homes at a lower price.
If you are looking for somewhere to live, you may find some great properties in outlying neighborhoods that are priced lower. Bulgarian real estate prices are quite cheap throughout Bulgaria, whether you are in the country, on the coast, or even if you want to live in the capital, Sofia. Real estate prices have been rising fast in Medellin over the past few years, as the market has heated up here.
Property prices in Arequipa rose nearly 4 percent this year, and the sun-drenched, clean town in Eternal Spring continues to offer one of the best lifestyles the world has to offer, when you are buying with your own money. One of my favourite cities in the Americas, Granada--the Americas is the one market where prices are below $1,000/m2...a fast-disappearing benchmark denoting a real bargain real estate. Vietnam has seen nearly 50% declines in rents over the past year in some parts of the country, one-bedroom homes with luxuries now go for as little as $300 per month, and even groceries are noted to have remarkably low prices.
With prices that vary from $35-$100 per cup, or around $100-$600 per pound, Kopi Luwak is generally considered to be the worlds most expensive coffee. A highly prized Indonesian means of producing luxury coffee, Kopi Luwak references the processes that bring beans into this pricey realm. Produced in Indonesia, Kona from Hawaii is made by feeding coffee cherries to Asiatic palm tree civets; who are small, predatory mammals, then waiting for them to pick up coffee beans from the feces of these civets.
Coffee beans are fed to Indonesian palm civets, partially digested, then excreted to be used in making Kopi Luwak. The wild Asian Palm Civet finds the ripest, freshest coffee cherries, and with the magic of their digestive enzymes, break the beans apart.
The Civets are particularly fond of the coffee cherries, which undergo a natural fermentation process in their digestive tracts, producing the coffee beans. Civets are a species of cat native to parts of Indonesia, and have a particular liking for the sweetest coffee cherries. Sometimes called the coffee civet or coffee cat, Asian palm civets are omnivorous, cat-like creatures whose diet includes insects, small animals, and fruits, including one of the favorites of Asian palm civets, coffee cherries.
At night, they visit coffee plantations and feast on the ripe cherries, often leaving large coffee-bean-laden dung piles around the plantation. In addition to the chemical adjustments a cats stomach makes to a coffee cherry (something that high-level coffee roasters wax poetic about frequently), the belief is that a civet has an eye for the beans selection, eating only the best from a group. One of the steps of the process that makes Kopi Luwak such a unique, fantastic coffee is that civets pick out specific coffee cherries, choices taken from them while captive.
While Black Ivory Coffee is known for using elephants in Thailand for their completely digested coffee cherries, Kopi Luwak is made using a similar process using different animals on a few particular Indonesian islands. Kopi Luwak coffee prices start at $160 a pound, rising up to $600 for the more expensive variety, in which civets roam free and pick out the best beans for themselves. Although Kopi luwak is a processing method, not a type of coffee, Kopi luwak has been called one of the worlds most expensive coffees, with retail prices reaching $100 a kg for farm-grown beans and $1,300 per kg for wild-harvested beans.
Similar to coffee from the civet, coffee from Finca Los Planes is prepared by elephants, which consume arabica beans and are processed through their digestive processes. Oh, and just so happens, Finca El Injerto coffee is harvested from the arabica beans that are excreted from the dung of elephants. Right up there with the Thai black ivory coffee is the Guatemalan Finca El Injerto, which retails for about $500 per pound.
#coffee #kopiluwak #drink #indonesia #money #expensivecoffee #cup #blackivory
Copyright