poker game pictures Bitcoin has finally hit $100,000 . It took the world's largest crypto asset a decade and a half to go from being worth less than a cent to being six-figure. Bitcoin enthusiasts and investors are already on their next target— just how long would it take the world's largest crypto asset to be worth a million dollars? But while it took BTC seven years to 10x its value from 10K to $100K, meme coins have seen their value rise as much as 1000x in a matter of days to months. However, the reason for this is the market cap and liquidity. Bitcoin is a nearly $2 trillion market cap cryptocurrency that handles $160 billion in daily trading volume. Meanwhile, the entire crypto market capitalization is just $3.75 trillion, so BTC basically accounts for over half of that. Unlike BTC, a coin with a low market cap and trading volume is pretty easy to move. And because even small buy orders can send a coin to new highs easily, traders utilize them as a way to speculate and make quick profits. The likes of Bitcoin, unlike altcoins and meme coins, are utilized by traders and investors as a way to invest in the long term and secure their wealth. This is something that meme coin traders should never forget — meme coins are the gateway to having fun and making quick and sizable profits, but they better sell on time before it all becomes zero. That's not to say that your Bitcoin investment won't lose its value—it will when the bear market comes. However, if you end up not selling your Bitcoin, it's highly probable that you'll have a chance to sell it when the bull market returns. This is because Bitcoin has solidified its position as an asset class, having been battle-tested and now gaining broader institutional support via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) . But the same cannot be said for your meme coins, which may never see the light of the day once their time is over. So, for a trader to get better returns from meme coins, they must understand the difference between investing and speculation. Investing Vs. Speculation What separates an investment from a speculative trade is your mindset and the level of risk involved. That's the main difference, though the line between the two can often be very thin, as what's speculation for one could be an investment for another. Generally, if something is high-risk, it is categorized as speculation, while lower risk is attributed to investing. So, when you spend money with the expectation that the thing you put your funds on will return you a profit, that is investing. Essentially, you take an average or below-average risk to generate a satisfactory return on your capital. Here, you expect your investment to increase in value over time. Also, this approach is usually taken with a long-term perspective, which could be anywhere between over a year to decades, with an aim to build your wealth gradually. Moreover, your decision here is based on a reasonable judgment, which you have made after performing a thorough investigation and gaining enough understanding of your venture's soundness, which points to a good probability of success. Equity stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, real estate, and market instruments are some examples of investments. Now, if you take a position in an asset and expect it to move in a certain direction, you are speculating. If you enjoy the thrill of volatile market conditions and use the market momentum to capture price movements, you are again speculating. In this approach, you purchase and sell assets over a short period of time to generate profits. It involves frequent buying and selling of an asset, often jumping from one trend to another, which means emotions tend to play a big role here. Not only do you disregard any fundamentals, but you also see a high probability of failure. Success or failure here largely depends on external forces or events that are outside of your control. Unlike speculation, which usually means putting your money into something and praying for good results, investing involves analysis. You put in your time and energy to study fundamentals and use it as a basis for your investment. Speculation also does not have much to do with protecting your wealth but rather increasing it quickly. In contrast, with investment, wealth protection is as much part of the process as wealth creation. Derivative products like futures and options come under speculative investment options. Interestingly, for a non-crypto native, cryptocurrencies fall under speculative investment, but as we saw this year, with ETFs, Bitcoin has become a legitimate asset class, providing institutional investors a way to diversify their assets. For a crypto-native, majors like Bitcoin and maybe even Ethereum fall under investment, while the vast majority of altcoins, specifically meme coins, are just speculative trading. So, what makes meme coins so speculative? Also, what exactly are they, and where does their value really come from? A Look into Memes and Meme Coins' Value Meme coins are the most profitable narrative of this cycle, and they have captured a lot of attention. But before we get into meme coins, let's first understand the concept of memes. You may feel that memes are an Internet phenomenon, but that's not the case. Actually, memes can trace their origins to centuries before when they were used as a way to communicate. The term ‘meme' was first introduced by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, “The Selfish Gene,” to describe the concept of cultural transmission. According to Webster's New World College Dictionary, a meme is defined as “a concept, belief, or practice conceived as a unit of cultural information that may be passed on from person to person, subject to influences in a way analogous to natural selection.” The term' Internet meme', meanwhile, was coined by Mike Godwin in 1993 to describe how memes spread through online communities. The emergence and popularity of social media have accelerated the speed at which memes proliferate the online world. Today, memes are an integral part of Internet culture, which helps people come together through humor and gain a sense of belonging to a community. The key elements of memes are their viral distribution and constant evolution. Now, meme coins are simply the financialization of memes. A cryptocurrency, when named after animals, characters, or individuals in an attempt to attract a user base, is a meme coin. Much like any other crypto, the underlying technology here is blockchain. But, unlike utility coins like ETH, which serve a purpose in this ecosystem, meme coins have no purpose other than offering a fun asset to learn about crypto and invest in to generate huge returns. Meme coins promise no fundamentals or inherent value other than creating a vibrant community of like-minded individuals. Given that meme coins remove any pretense of utility and are simply driven by hype, FOMO, and momentum, they are extremely risky and highly volatile. And that's exactly what makes them so popular in retail. The meme coin frenzy first gained traction this cycle in 2023 when PEPE, an inspiration from the popular Internet meme' Pepe the Frog,' captured the market's attention and saw an explosive increase in its value. This ignited the meme coin mania, which only allowed it to grow substantially higher. This year, the meme coin craze has risen beyond the wildest of imaginations, with new coins popping up every hour. The cheaper and faster blockchains like Tonchain and Base have been helping the meme coin trend thrive, with Solana at the center of it all. As the biggest beneficiary of the memecoin frenzy, Solana-based memecoins account for almost a fifth of the market value of meme tokens. A New Breed of Meme Coins: Easy Come Easy Go Solana isn't alone in fueling the memecoin craze; rather, it's Pump. fun, which is the fastest-growing crypto app in history that allows anyone to create new tokens in a minute for completely free. The biggest driver of the ongoing meme coin madness is Pump. fun's growth wasn't gradual but rather sudden and explosive. In February, less than a hundred coins were being launched a day on it, which has since skyrocketed to tens of thousands every day nowadays. While Pump.fun made it easy to create new meme coins, DEXs were already there to help people start trading right away. Unlike a CEX, there's no need for listing; the project provides the liquidity, and you are good to go. And this led to an eruption of meme coin mania, which is amplified by social media posts showing individuals turning their dollars into millions. While it's easy to start feeling FOMO with people bragging about bagging millions, it's not as widespread as one might believe. In fact, the reality is that most people lose money by trading meme coins rather than making profits. As per data from Dune , fewer than 3% of traders made more than $1,000 profit from investing in these speculative coins, while 0.8% have made over $10,000, and the bulk of traders, at over 60% , are incurring losses. Meanwhile, the platform itself (Pump.fun) is raking in millions of dollars in revenue and is now planning to launch a pro-trading terminal and its own token. Among the new line of meme coins, there's another category: celebrity meme coins, which might be the most fleeting ones ever, as well as net negative for the crypto industry. One may think that they would help gain crypto adoption, but the fast-paced crypto's low barriers to entry only end up attracting bad actors. Celebrity tokens are nothing but crypto that derive their value from the personality who launched them or whose name they bear. However, despite carrying the name of a celebrity, it's possible they may not be launched or promoted by them. The total market cap of celebrity coins is $113.7 million, as per Coinmarketcap . Currently, the biggest celebrity coin is MOTHER from music artist Iggy Azalea. The $65.8 million market cap token is currency trading at $0.065, down 72.68% from its peak of $0.240 from six months ago. In 2nd place is the $45 mln market cap DADDY from Andrew Tate, and then the $395K market cap JENNER from Caitlyn Jenner is in 3rd place, down 74% and 95% from their respective ATHs. Much like these, most of the celebrity tokens have been launched only to be dumped soon after and are now barely worth anything. Most recently, Hailey Welch, a.k.a the Hawk Tuah Girl, launched her memecoin $HAWK on Solana, which didn't even survive for an hour before plunging hard. As soon as the token launched, the initial surge saw its market cap rising as high as $500 million before tanking to $60 million in a mere 20 minutes. The crash cost many their “whole life savings,” igniting the calls of “rug pull” and “pump-and-dump” crypto scam. Some buyers took to Crypto Twitter to accuse Welch of orchestrating an exit scam and said that they would take legal action against her. One X user talked about losing their “life savings and children's college education fund,” while the other one pointed out how a vast majority of coins were held by an insider, only to be dumped on the retail. While some feel for those who have suffered grievous losses, others can't help but point out how the very purpose of meme coins is to get in and out of a trade before others. “It's a game of musical chairs,” said crypto trader Huss in a post on celebrity tokens earlier this year. “When they're right, they're geniuses, but when they're wrong, they were scammed and want reparations.” – Huss recently said in another post on X. Back in June, X user Slorg created a list of these celebrity coins and found that they had an average decline of 94%. Most of these new coins are also released on Solana through Pump.fun. Celebrity-linked projects aren't anything new. Back in 2017, boxer Floyd Mayweather and actor Jamie Fox promoted ICOs. Much like meme coins in this cycle, over 80% of 2017 ICOs were scams, including those associated with celebrities. The same was seen during the 2021 bull season when Mayweather, again, along with the likes of Jake Paul, DJ Khaled, and David Dobrik, promoted scam NFT projects. So, this has been happening since the beginning of crypto and will continue to happen, but that's not to say that there aren't better and more honest ways to achieve this. Also, investors must be more careful when interacting with these speculative coins, as there are meme coins that tokenize culture and have value. Meme Coins That Stand Out Every meme coin is not the same. Much like how BTC has stood the test of time, there are a few meme coins as well that continue to survive year after year. The OG Dogecoin (DOGE) leads this pack, which was created eleven years ago as a joke but soon found its place in people's hearts and portfolios. This meme coin played a huge role in onboarding mainstream investors and traders to crypto, who were overwhelmed with the technical complexity of the space. Dogecoin gained significant attention during the last bull market when Tesla CEO Elon Musk came out in support of it. In fact, US President-elect Donald Trump has created a specific department, ‘Doge,' – The Department of Government Efficiency, which he wrote on his social media platform, “will become, potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project' of our time.” The department is to be headed by the tech billionaire and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who recently met behind closed doors at the Capitol to discuss the DOGE initiative and reportedly talked about keeping a ‘naughty and nice' list of those who will be part of the budget-slashing proposals and those who won't. Then, during the last bull run, we got many new meme coins, most of which are simply lost or irrelevant, but the likes of Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Floki have still managed to maintain their presence among the top 100 crypto assets and in people's minds. Interestingly, during the past cycles, meme coins pumped toward the end of the bull market, but this time around, they have been experiencing capital rotation throughout the cycle. Before even the Bitcoin halving occurred, meme coins continued to attract interest and capital, even when BTC had its consolidation between March and October this year. The meme coin market capitalization actually makes up 3.16% of the total crypto market cap, up from 1.3% at the beginning of the year. Excluding majors, such as BTC and ETH, this share rises to 11.21%, up from 4.2%. This makes sense, given that among the top 100 crypto assets, meme coins are the biggest gainers this year, with WIF's 2,165% year-to-date (YTD) gains and PEPE's 1,578% upside. These two have been among the most popular meme coins, along with BONK, FWOG, BRETT, PNUT, and POPCAT, during this cycle. Conclusion So, as we saw, meme coins are the hottest trend of this bull market, offering an enticing opportunity for retail to make the best of it. The fun element combined with their low entry point makes meme coins a magnet to new investors who get lured in by people flashing their big ‘1 SOL to $1 million' gains from meme coins. Instead of treating it like a game of hot potato, they mistake it for an investment or simply hold it for too long in the hope of bigger gains, and they eventually end up giving up all of their profits. It is important for those putting their money into meme coins to understand and remember that the vast majority of these meme coins become irrelevant when their underlying connection to social events becomes stale. So, make sure not to lose sight of your goal, which is quick profits. Speculation is a great way to make sizable returns in a very short period, but that's what it is. It's not an investment, and meme coins should never be treated as such because they are driven by hype and momentum, and when the music stops, you don't want to be holding them, or you'll be left with significant losses, “but as long as the music is playing, you've got to get up and dance”! Click here to learn all about investing in Bitcoin (BTC).Share Tweet Share Share Email XYZVerse is stirring interest with its low price of $0.001333. This tiny value is catching the eye of investors who recall the surprises of 2021. Back then, unexpected coins turned modest sums into substantial fortunes. Now, XYZVerse is evoking that same excitement. Could it be the next big thing in crypto? Dominate the Field with XYZ: The Next Meme Coin Champion! The game is on, and XYZ is leading the charge in the meme coin arena! This sensational all-sports meme token has hit the market with unstoppable momentum, knocking out weak competitors and scammy cryptos. As it charges ahead, XYZ is set to deliver jaw-dropping gains, leaving the likes of BOME and WIF far behind. With eyes on a staggering 9,900% growth , XYZ is ready to claim the meme coin crown in the next crypto bull marathon! 💸 Rule the game, cash in as the bets roll in 💸 XYZ is the star player in XYZVerse – the ultimate fusion of sports thrill and meme culture. This community-centered ecosystem is the perfect playground for crypto degens and sports fans alike. Think back to Polymarket’s $1 billion trading volume during the US elections betting frenzy, and now, picture that on steroids with XYZVerse. With millions of sport bettors getting ready to jump in the action, opportunities for early investors in XYZ are really huge! XYZ is currently undervalued , and with major listings on the way, presale participants stand to secure life-changing gains. >>>Don’t miss your shot at being part of the XYZ winning team!Dow Jones futures, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures, were little changed ahead of Tuesday's stock market open, as ( ) sold off for a second straight session, while the Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge is due out later this week. Nvidia stock tumbled another 4.2% Monday, adding to Friday's 3.2% skid. The artificial intelligence titan is back at its , an important area to watch. If the stock breaks that level in heavy volume, then further downside would be likely. Conversely, a decisive rebound would place the AI stock in a new buy area. Meanwhile, the stock has already made a huge move since bottoming out in October 2022. Its breakout in October of this year was from a . Such formations entail more risk than first- and second-stage bases. Key earnings reports this week include ( ), ( ) and ( ), along with ( ), ( ) and ( ). On the , the Fed's primary inflation gauge, the core personal consumption expenditures price index or PCE, is expected out Wednesday midmorning, a change from the usual premarket fare. Other key economic data include jobless claims, durable goods orders and a second estimate on third-quarter GDP growth. New home sales for October are out Tuesday, followed by pending home sales on Wednesday. Stock Market Today On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 1%, hitting an all-time high, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3% each. Among the best companies to are ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ) and ( ). Dow Jones components making notable moves are ( ), ( ), ( ) and ( ). Sherwin-Williams and Cloudflare featured in this . Dow Jones Today: Oil Prices, Treasury Yields Ahead of Tuesday's opening bell, Dow Jones futures, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures, were little changed vs. fair value. Remember that overnight action in Dow Jones futures and elsewhere doesn't necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session. On Monday, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield dropped to 4.26%. And oil prices slipped more than 3%, as West Texas Intermediate futures settled around $69 a barrel. What To Do Now Now is an important time to read amid the ongoing stock market action. Following Monday's session, be sure to check out and . , the team discussed the current trading conditions of the stock market rally. An essential resource for daily breakouts is "Breaking Out Today" list. It shows stocks that are breaking out past buy points. Meanwhile, the MarketSurge "Near Pivot" list shows more stocks nearing buy points in bases. To find more stock ideas, check like , and . These features identify bullish patterns and buy points and are available to check every day. Dow Jones: Sherwin-Williams Breaks Out Dow Jones leader Sherwin-Williams is breaking out above a 392.57 in a flat base, according to . Outside the Dow Jones index, artificial intelligence giant Broadcom remains below its 50-day moving average, as it continues to build a flat base that has a 186.42 entry. Heico is in buy range above its flat base's 269.38 buy point and is a recent surged past a in a at 182.26 Friday as shares continue to rally in recent months. The stock is extended following Monday's 2.3% gain. broke out last week, topping a 99.17 buy point in a cup with handle. The 5% buy zone runs up to 104.13, so shares are barely in buy range. Finally, closed Monday just below a 136.13 entry in a flat base. Stock Market Today: Companies To Watch Among in the , snapped a three-day losing streak Monday, retaking a consolidation's 201.20 buy point. rallied 1.3% Monday, further above their 50-day line, as they approach a flat base with a 237.49 entry. Microsoft shares were up 0.4% Monday. But the stock remains below its 50-day line, a key level to watch.

Michigan may be riding after a lopsided win over Northwestern, but oddsmakers don’t believe the team stands much of a chance against arch-rival Ohio State. The 6-5 Wolverines opened Sunday as three-touchdown betting underdogs to the second-ranked Buckeyes, a game set for Saturday in Columbus (Noon, FOX). Most domestic sportsbooks list Ohio State as 20.5-point favorites, the largest point spread in the rivalry since 2014, when the Buckeyes closed as 21.5-point favorites. It’s been a tale of opposite seasons for the two rivals, with Michigan having to beat Northwestern over the weekend just to qualify for bowl eligibility. Meanwhile, Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) needs a win to clinch a berth in the Big Ten title game and looks to be a shoe-in for the expanded College Football Playoff. The total for Saturday’s game is hovering between 43.5 and 44.5 points, which would be the lowest total in the rivalry in more than a decade. Michigan has won the last three meetings, covering the spread in all three games. In fact, despite a losing streak that stretched nearly a decade, the Wolverines have covered the spread in seven of their last 10 games against Ohio State. This year, Michigan is 4-7 against the spread while Ohio State is 6-5 ATS. Seven of the Wolverines’ 11 games this season have gone over the total, while the Buckeyes have played six of their games to the under.Ares Commercial: 15% Yield In Danger

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Nottingham Forest are sweating on the fitness of Elliot Anderson for this weekend’s clash with Arsenal. The Reds mark their return to action after the international break with a trip to face the Gunners on Saturday (3pm kick-off). Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are still unbeaten on the road this season and suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the campaign last time out when they fell 3-1 at home to Newcastle United. Nuno has some big selection decisions to make for the match at the Emirates Stadium and he has said Forest are "managing some players and some situations". Midfielder Anderson is among that group due to the foot problem he has been struggling with in recent weeks. “We took advantage of the international break to try to manage some players who were struggling and Elliot was one of them," Nuno said in his pre-match press conference. "Let’s see how he is tomorrow. But for now, we still have to assess him." Prior to the two-week hiatus, Anderson had been a doubt for the Reds' match with West Ham United earlier this month. In the end, he started on the bench and played the final half-hour - just as was the case against former club Newcastle. Before that clash with the Hammers, Nuno had said: “Elliot, in the game against (Crystal) Palace, somebody stood on his foot and it was very painful. He was able to play against Leicester, but he has been having treatment on it." Long-term absentees Danilo (broken ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) are the only two players definitely ruled out against Arsenal. Nuno explained: “We are just managing some players and some situations. As we mentioned before, we took the chance of this international break to recover some players. Let’s wait and see if they improve.”

CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo's game-ending 29-yard field goal , and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 on Sunday after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings (9-2), who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North.