Later today, futures trading opens. But it doesn't really matter.

Well, it kind of matters. But not directly. Future contracts are paid out in U.S. funds, not in Bitcoin, so the market influence of futures will strictly be psychological.

If you believe in the adage, "Buy the rumor, sell the news", you would expect Bitcoin to be due for a big correction once futures launch. This could well be the case. It's important to think long-term here.

Futures exchanges, once launched all over the United States over the coming weeks and months, will remove the stigma of Bitcoin as a dark web, nefarious tool (in reality, good old American cash is used far more for crime and terrorism than Bitcoin, but that's beside the point!). Once this dark reputation comes to light, Bitcoin will be seen as a legitimate tool of value transaction and storage. It is at this point in time, that we may see an explosive growth in Bitcoin - when ETF's are launched.

ETF's - or exchange-traded funds - allow large-scale investment in the actual Bitcoin through the actions of a buying and selling entity. An investor could go to his or her broker and order Bitcoin ETF's to be added to their investment portfolio. ETF's were denied for Bitcoin in the past due to its negative reputation as a money-laundering tool and dark web currency. This reputation is about to change. The approval of Bitcoin ETF's will bring about a large influx of crypto-buyers, unlike anything we have ever seen. When Bitcoin as an asset is available on a wide-scale for retirement investment, pensions, and other investment portfolios, it will grow massively, because ETF's will involve buying and selling Bitcoin itself, rather than making side-bets in USD cash.

So don't fret too much if the side-bets on futures today start a drop in Bitcoin's value. It is, in reality, quite likely that the price will drop for a while - perhaps for months - since so many buyers entered the market on excitement of this new development. Hang on to your Bitcoin and wait for the real show; when ETF's are finally allowed.

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