What is Ethereum?

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Ethereum is a digital platform that adopts blockchain technology and expands its use to various applications. Ether, its native cryptocurrency, is the second largest on the market.

The Ethereum platform was created in 2015 by the programmer Vitalik Buterin to create an instrument for decentralized and collaborative applications. Ether (ETH), its native cryptocurrency, is a token that can be used in transactions using this software. Like , Ether is part of an autonomous peer-to-peer financial system, free from government intervention. Also, like bitcoin, the value of Ether skyrocketed in a short time.

In January 2016, Ether was trading at around $1; in January 2018, the cryptocurrencies hit its highest level yet at $1,391. However, in October 2020, Ether is trading far from its all-time high, falling below $390. In addition, its value is volatile, with frequent intraday fluctuations. Although this is only one among hundreds of cryptocurrencies, it is also one of the few with a significant market capitalization, along with its two great rivals, bitcoin, and bitcoin cash.

How does Ether Work?

Ether, like other cryptocurrencies, uses a shared digital ledger where all transactions are record. As a result, it is publicly accessible, completely transparent, and challenging to modify afterward.

This ‘digital ledger’ is called a blockchain, or chain of blocks, built through data mining.

Miners are responsible for verifying groups of ether transactions to form “blocks” and encoding them by solving complex algorithms. Unfortunately, these algorithms can be more or less challenging to maintain a sure consistency in the processing time of the blocks (around one every 14 seconds).

The new blocks are then link to the previous blockchain, and the miner in question receives a reward, i.e., a fixed number of ether tokens. Usually, it is five units of Ether, although this figure may be reduce if the cryptocurrency continues to rise.

How to Trade with Ether?

To start trading ether price movements, access your CFD trading platform. If you don’t already have it, you will need to open your live account first. You will find ‘Ether’ by selecting the cryptocurrency market in the menu on the left or through a direct search. Remember that you will then trade a derivative contract on the price of Ether, but you will not directly own the cryptocurrency.

How does Ethereum Work?

The Ethereum blockchain is very similar to bitcoin, but its programming language allows developers to create software to manage transactions and automate specific results. This software can known as a smart contract.

If a traditional contract describes the terms of a relationship, a smart contract makes sure those terms are met by writing them in code. In addition, they are programs that automatically execute the contract once predefine conditions are met, eliminating the delay and cost of manually running an agreement.

For example, an Ethereum user could create a smart contract to send a set amount of Ether to a friend on a set date. They would write this code to the blockchain, and when the agreement is complete (i.e., when the agreed date arrives), the Ether will be sent automatically.

This basic idea can be apply to more complex setups, the potential for which is probably limitless, with projects already making notable progress in sectors such as insurance, real estate, financial services, legal services, and microfinance.

Smart contracts also have several additional benefits

They eliminate the figure of the intermediary, offering the total user control and minimizing extra costs
They are record, encrypted, and mirror on the public blockchain, where all users can see the market activity
Eliminate the time and effort required in manual processes

Of course, smart contracts are still a very new system with many details to be polish. In addition, the code is translate, so any errors during contract creation could lead to undesired results that cannot be change.

How to Invest in Ethereum

When you buy Ethereum (Ether) coins, the price is usually display in fiat currency (USD, EUR, or GBP). That is, you sell a certain amount of money to buy Ether. If the price of Ether rises, you will be able to sell and make a profit, and if the price falls and you decide to sell, you will realize your loss. You will also need access to a market or a wallet to deposit the ethers you have purchased.

With CMC Markets, you can trade Ether through CFD trading. You can invest based on price fluctuations without owning the cryptocurrency. However, it also does not assume any ownership of ethers. Therefore Ethereum cannot be purchase through an account with CMC Markets. Instead, it opens a position whose value will rise or fall depending on the price fluctuation of Ether against a fiat currency.

Conclusion

Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with excellent agreement functionality. Ether is the native cryptocurrency of the platform. Among cryptocurrencies, Ether is next only to Bitcoin in market capitalization. Ethereum was perceive in 2013 by programmer Vitalik Buterin.

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