Mark Cuban on his cryptocurrency portfolio: 'I own a lot of Ethereum because I think it's the closest to a true currency'

Mark Cuban on his cryptocurrency portfolio: ‘I own a lot of Ethereum because I think it’s the closest to a true currency’

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban is bullish on the future of cryptocurrency and frequently compares blockchain technology to the early days of the internet.

That’s why, over the years, Cuban held onto the few digital coins he bought in the “early days,” Cuban said on a recent episode of “The Delphi Podcast.” Currently, his portfolio allocation is broken down as: “60% bitcoin, 30% Ethereum and 10% the rest.”

Bitcoin, created in 2009, is the largest cryptocurrency by market value, but is appealing to Cuban as a store of value rather than a currency.

In 2012, “people said bitcoin is a currency, and I’m like, ‘It’s just not going to work.’ But, the entire time, I said it was a store of value where, if you could get people to believe that it was a better alternative than gold, because of its algorithmic scarcity, the price is going to go up,” he said.

According to Cuban, bitcoin is “a better alternative to gold, and it’s going to continue [to be],” he said. “That’s why I own bitcoin and why I never sold it.”

Cuban is also very interested in Ethereum — the blockchain where ether, the second largest cryptocurrency below bitcoin, is built — mainly due to the smart contracts that run on it. In cryptocurrency, smart contracts are collections of code that carry out a set of instructions and run on the blockchain.

“What really changed everything was smart contracts,” Cuban said. “Smart contracts came along, and that created DeFi [or decentralized finance] and NFTs [or nonfungible tokens]. That’s what changed the game. That’s what got me excited. That’s why it’s a lot like the internet.”

He sees Ethereum as “adaptable over time” because developers can iterate and improve its capabilities, he said.

“That is more life-like, and so, I have a lot of Ethereum as well,” Cuban said. “I wish I had bought it sooner, but I started buying it four years ago, simply because I think it’s the closest we have to a true currency.”

Cuban hasn’t specifically named the rest of the cryptocurrencies he owns that represent the remaining 10%, but “there’s none that I’m just all in on, other than bitcoin and Ethereum, that I look at as being an equivalent investment,” he said.

In February, Cuban bought a small amount of dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that started as a joke, for his 11-year-old son, Jake. Cuban said at the time that the purchase was meant to be “fun and educational” for his son, while also helping Cuban learn more about the space.

“There’s some I [buy] for fun, some I do for experience, because I just want to learn,” Cuban added.

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to “Shark Tank.”

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Ethereum Prepares for New All-Time Highs

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Key Takeaways Ethereum broke out of a month-long stagnation period.

As buy orders pile up, ETH could resume its uptrend and advance to a new all-time high of $2,560.

A renowned technical analyst suggests Ether may first retrace to a crucial support level before achieving its upside potential.

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Ethereum kicked off the second quarter with a bang as its price has risen nearly 9% in the past 24 hours. The bullish impulse allowed ETH to break out of a consolidation pattern, pointing to further gains on the horizon.

Ethereum Primed to Resume Uptrend

The second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization endured a month-long stagnation period, making a series of lower highs and higher lows. Such market behavior led to the formation of a symmetrical triangle on Ether’s daily chart.

A sudden spike in buy orders has allowed ETH to break out of the consolidation pattern. By measuring the height of the triangle’s y-axis and adding it to the breakout point, it projects that Ethereum is primed for a 37% upswing.

If validated, further upward pressure could catapult Ethereum towards a new all-time high of $2,560.

The SuperTrend indicator adds credence to the optimistic outlook. The trend-following overlay flashed a “buy” signal on the daily chart as Ethereum’s price sliced through the $1,930 resistance.

This is the first time since late October 2020 that the SuperTrend has turned bullish. More importantly, this technical indicator has twice forecasted the beginning of a new uptrend ETH rose by 187.40% and 455.40%, respectively.

Although the current trend suggests that Ethereum is heading to new all-time highs, market analyst Rekt Capital believes in a pullback before continuing the uptrend.

The analyst maintains that the $1,925-$1,980 price pocket would not be easy to break at once. Therefore, Ether would likely be forced to retest the symmetrical triangle’s breakout point before it advances further.

“A successful retest would likely result in a break past [resistance],” said Rekt Capital.

Disclosure: At the time of writing, this author owned Bitcoin and Ethereum.

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Ethereum Price Forecast: ETH May Rally to $2,500 in Q2

The Ethereum price had a successful first quarter as its price surged by more than 160%. It outperformed Bitcoin, whose price rose by more than 100% and its total market cap rose to more than $200 billion. The ETH price is trading at $1,917, which is slightly lower than the all-time high (ATH) of more than $2,000.

What happened: The first quarter was a relatively successful period for Ethereum and other digital currencies. While Ethereum costs increased, demand for its network continued rising. For example, the expansive DeFi industry saw its total value locked (TVL) surging to more than $45 billion. Other platforms built on its network like Tether and Wrapped Bitcoin also surged.

However, in the quarter, Ethereum also faced rising competition from proof-of-stake platforms that are faster and less expensive. Among the notable ones are Cardano, Polkadot, and Solana. Indeed, these altcoins also had a relatively successful quarter.

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Looking ahead, in the second quarter, Ethereum price will react to the performance of the US bond market and the US dollar. A stronger US dollar will likely lead to a weaker Ethereum because the two have an inverted relationship.

Ethereum price forecast

The daily chart shows that the ETH price has been in a relatively strong upward trend. It is a few points below the all-time high of $2,000. It has also moved above the ascending channel that is shown in black. Also, it has moved above the short and longer moving averages. It also seems to be forming an ascending triangle pattern.

Therefore, in my view, as I had predicted a few months ago, the Ethereum price will keep rising as bulls target the important resistance level at $2,500. This will likely happen in the second quarter of the year. This price is just 30% from the current level.

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