The crypto market attracted a lot of attention in 2017, with prices rising to unprecedented levels. It was the new gold rush, where everyone saw a path to riches and financial freedom. Unfortunately, many are now disappointed. People who bought in December are still in losses, now that the market is way below last year’s highs. For instance, bitcoin is still below $10,000 while many newbies bought at around $17k-$19k in anticipation of a break above $20k. The question then arises, will the 2017 bull-run ever return? Well, no one really knows, but there is a good chance that going forward, growth will be slower. Here’s why.

Firstly, there is an increased government interest in the crypto market. That’s why regulations are coming up from all directions. A few months ago, South Korea introduced regulations banning anonymous trading in the country. On the other side of the world, the U.S now classifies cryptos as securities, which makes for a complicated tax scenario to many crypto traders. Such moves by governments are bound to eliminate the enthusiasm that people had in cryptos in 2017.

On top of that, a series of negative headlines since the beginning of the year have seen many new investors approach this market more cautiously. In 2017, people were throwing money at crypto with no care in the world. It was like a money minting machine where you could put in a dollar today and get two tomorrow. Sadly after the recent crash where some cryptos have lost up to 80% of their value, people are now more careful with this market. A series of hacks and negative regulatory headlines from places like South Korea and China have not helped. In short, many new investors now view crypto with a high degree of skepticism, which explains the consistently low volumes in the last few months. Right now, it’s mostly long-term HODLERs and smart money that are active in this market.

So what’s the future? The future of crypto is bright. Many projects in the market are revolutionary, and are slowly getting adopted. As this adoption continues and people figure their way around regulations, the market will slowly rise again. But it won’t be a mad dash to the top. It will be slow and consistent growth that many people won’t even notice. Think of it like holding stock in a top company like Amazon or Facebook. These stocks have grown tremendously over the years, but no one even notices it. It’s only when you look at their historical graphs that you realize how much growth has taken place. Crypto is most likely headed in the same direction. You won’t see any exciting price fluctuations in the news headlines. You will just check bitcoin’s price in 2020 and find it at $50k, then start wondering how we got there. At that point, you will either be smiling all the way to the bank, or feeling silly for missing out!

In short, the euphoria is gone, and it’s long-term investors that stand to benefit the most.