Cryptocurrencies: king’s ransom or fool’s gold?

Extreme volatility makes products an unreliable store of value – for now

The increasing dominance of technology in our daily lives is finally penetrating the financial industry as well. The growing popularity of algorithmic trading, mobile payment platforms and robo-advisers is just the beginning of the fintech revolution. But perhaps the most radical – and controversial – innovation in today’s headlines is cryptocurrencies. History teaches that their success will depend on their stability and reliability as a store of value – and by that measure, most are currently