狗狗幣Dogecoin是什麼?讓Elon Musk也瘋狂 狗狗幣的起源、用途介紹 #虛擬貨幣 (160001)

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GME軋空事件震撼了美國金融圈,除了股票市場動盪之外,虛擬貨幣也連帶受到了影響。日前台灣中央銀行粉絲專頁發表了一篇介紹「狗狗幣」的貼文,狗狗幣(Dogecoin)又稱為「多吉幣」或「旺旺幣」,和比特幣(Bitcoin)同樣屬於虛擬貨幣的一種。2021年初GME事件發生,狗狗幣在美國Reddit鄉民和Elon Musk的連帶鼓吹之下達到超過800%的漲幅,出乎意料地再度成為了金融圈的話題焦點。雖然狗狗幣如今已成為世界上流通的主要虛擬貨幣之一,但事實上,狗狗幣的起源只不過是一句玩笑話,它的建立也可以歸因於網路迷因的流行。為什麼狗狗幣叫做「狗狗幣」?和網路迷因有什麼關係呢?讓我們繼續看下去。

相較於比特幣起源於一篇嚴肅的學術論文,狗狗幣的誕生可說是非常「獨特」,它的創造可以說是網路流行話題的結合,也因此狗狗幣的代表圖案就是知名的迷因Doge。相信大部分的人都曾經看過柴犬Doge(狗狗的實際名字為Kabosu,醋橙,但迷因稱之為Doge)的梗圖,1隻日本柴犬配上特定的文字說明,在台灣尤其以「關於感情的問題我一律建議分手」為最主要的流行。

2013年正逢比特幣興起,許多跟風的山寨虛擬貨幣也像春筍般冒出,而同時鋪天蓋地的Doge梗圖也直接或間接造成了網路使用者的精神汙染。狗狗幣的創始人之一,Jackson Palmer當時是Adobe的員工,他用一種諷刺的幽默感將Doge梗圖和虛擬貨幣結合,製作了一張有著Doge頭像的貨幣。Jackson Palmer將這張惡搞圖案放上Twitter,寫著「投資狗狗幣吧!這將是下一件大事(或譯為『一定可以大賺一筆』)」的貼文內容,在發佈之後,這則貼文很快地受到廣大網友們的迴響,於是Jackson Palmer在網友們的鼓吹之下,買下dogecoin.com網域,並在網站留下訊息,徵求想要讓狗狗幣成真的夥伴。

事實上,Jackson Palmer對於加密貨幣一竅不通,狗狗幣也真的只是一個玩笑話,從來沒有想過會真的實現。然而,IBM的工程師Billy Markus在偶然下看見了狗狗幣的訊息,Billy Markus一直都有研究加密貨幣,希望能夠創造出一款讓人們可以廣泛使用,而非單純使用於投資的虛擬貨幣。於是Billy Markus在見到狗狗幣網站後,聯繫了Jackson Palmer,二人的合作讓狗狗幣正式誕生,並且在網路迷因的散播之下,dogecoin.com網站短短30天之內就有超過百萬名訪客。

▲狗狗幣介紹。創造於2013年12月,由萊特幣(Litecoin,比特幣的改進)中派生出來。狗狗幣將挖礦(mining)改成挖洞(diging),並且將字體改成Doge迷因中使用的Comic Sans字體。

狗狗幣的創辦人Jackson Palmer曾經提過,狗狗幣和比特幣最大的不同,在於狗狗幣並非為了投資而生,因此它擁有更低的挖礦(挖洞)門檻、更方便的購買方式、以及更低的交易費用。在理想的情況下,狗狗幣被設定為一種輕鬆詼諧的虛擬貨幣,它站在虛擬貨幣投資的對立面,一開始設定為1000億個,後續則改為數量無上限,保護狗狗幣的價格。

因為狗狗幣並不值錢,它最常使用在小費和打賞的情況,網友可以在網路上用狗狗幣表達感謝、支持,且因為一般人無法擁有比特幣等其他虛擬貨幣,狗狗幣正好填補了這樣的空缺,讓對虛擬貨幣有興趣的人更容易參與。狗狗幣也常被使用在慈善行為,在2014年,當狗狗幣社群見到牙買加雪橇代表隊沒有經費參與冬季奧運的時候,他們建立了募款活動,最終成功讓雪橇隊可以出國比賽。

對於雪橇隊的比賽支持讓狗狗幣多出了一種俠義的形象,接下來狗狗幣還完成了肯亞水井挖掘募資計畫、以及在2014年3月成功募集了6780萬狗狗幣(當時約5.5萬美元),贊助NASCAR駕駛員Josh Wise比賽。Josh Wise讓賽車使用狗狗幣的贊助塗裝,這讓狗狗幣在比賽過程中被評論員提起,車體亮相的同時也為狗狗幣宣傳。

▲狗狗幣塗裝賽車,後來美國狗狗幣鄉民的力量也讓Josh Wise在粉絲投票比賽中勝出。(圖片來源:Wiki)

Good to see @Josh_Wise bring back the @dogecoin helmet last weekend! That was such an awesome deal to be apart of pic.twitter.com/VaLUt3LssY

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Dogecoin (DOGE): What It Is, What It’s Worth and Should You Be Investing?

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Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) – A global semiconductor shortage has upended the supply of everyday devices from smartphones to gaming consoles to tech-dependent cars. With companies warning the issue may last into the second half, the fallout threatens to weigh on share prices for months to come.Since news broke in November that Apple Inc. faced a shortage of chips for its latest iPhone, warnings about the impact have been coming thick and fast. Truckmaker Volvo Group and electric-vehicle company Nio Inc. last week joined a long list of auto producers that have idled assembly lines.The lack of chips has been caused by booming demand for tech gear, in large part because of the pandemic, and winter weather in Texas and a fire in Japan have added to the problem. It’s been a boon for companies such as Applied Materials Inc. and Lam Research Corp. that produce the equipment semiconductor makers need to boost output.Here’s a look at the companies with the most at stake as the global chip shortage rages on, and how their stocks have been affected:AutomakersAuto stocks have come roaring back from their pandemic lows. Now both the chip shortage and concern over a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic have pulled a Bloomberg index of global manufacturers down 14% from its Jan. 25 record high.Volvo Group slumped 7% Tuesday after saying it will have to suspend production due to the lack of semiconductors, while China’s Nio slid 4.8% Friday when it said it will stop output at a factory in Anhui province.A fire March 19 at a Japanese factory operated by Renesas Electronics Corp., one of the biggest makers of automotive chips, hit the industry hard. It triggered a 6.7% drop in General Motors Corp. shares over three days last week. In Japan, shares of Toyota Motor Corp., which touched a six-year high March 18, slumped 6.1% in the subsequent four sessions.“The automotive sector has arguably experienced the greatest level of disruption, with more and more OEMs either slowing production or closing manufacturing plants on a temporary basis,” said Thomas Fitzgerald, a fund manager at EdenTree Investment Management Ltd., referring to original equipment manufacturers.China’s Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. slid 19% over three days last week after reporting disappointing earnings. Daiwa Securities cited the chip shortage in downgrading the stock and cutting estimates for this year and next. China is dealing with unrelated chip-supply issues of its own.READ, Chip Shortage May Put Market-Beating Rally at Risk: Taking StockSmartphones, Consumer ElectronicsBeyond the auto industry, it’s harder to tease out the stock market impact on companies that depend on semiconductors. Shares of Apple, for example, didn’t react in November to the impact of the shortage, and they’re up more than 5% since then. Smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. slumped 4.4% Thursday after warning that parts shortages could slow its growth for the next few quarters.One positive aspect of the chip shortage: With demand for consumer electronics as strong as it is, it gives companies the power to raise prices and pass on higher costs, said Neil Campling, an analyst at Mirabaud Securities. “The share prices haven’t reacted particularly negatively to the news, and I think that’s because the important part is that you’re seeing a snapback in demand for these goods,” he said.Lenovo Group Ltd. said in August that its profit margins took a hit from the chip shortage, and in November it said it couldn’t fill all customer orders due to the lack of components. Still, demand for the company’s laptops is soaring because of purchases by people working at home, and the stock has doubled since August.Sony Corp. said last month it might be unable to fully sate demand for its new gaming console in 2021 because of production bottlenecks. The stock touched a 21-year high in February, though it’s dipped 8.2% since then.While Samsung Electronics Co.’s foundry business making chips for other companies benefits from the favorable supply-demand equation, the South Korean firm also has its own line of consumer products that are hurt. Samsung this month warned of problems, including the possible cancellation of the launch of its new Galaxy Note, one of its best-selling smartphone models.Makers of networking equipment also have been feeling the pinch. Analysts at Oddo BHF flagged a DigiTimes report that the lead times for deliveries of networking chips are extending to as long as 50 weeks, suggesting that the chip shortage has also reached the networking segment and will likely last into early next year.ChipmakersWhile automakers have struggled, the flip side of the semiconductor shortage is that the companies supplying those chips could see a boost to their business. Most semiconductor companies should report strong results for the first quarter and give good guidance for the second, said Janardan Menon, an analyst at Liberum Capital Ltd.“This is all great news for the semiconductor vendor,” Liberum’s Menon said by phone. “This kind of tightness – of capacity utilization, rising prices, very, very strong demand – invariably means that their results are very, very strong.”However, Menon cautioned that share prices may not follow, given the market is now worried that the peak of the semiconductor cycle is approaching.European auto chip supplier Infineon Technologies AG is up 12% for the year while STMicroelectronics NV has gained just 5.6%. In the U.S., Texas Instruments Inc. is up 15%, while NXP Semiconductors NV and ON Semiconductor Corp. have done better, up 25% and 24% respectively, versus the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index’s 11% rise.There are also broader winners from the shortages in the semiconductor industry, with chip foundries such as leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. running at close to full capacity to try to keep up with the surge in demand. TSMC shares are down 12% from their record set Jan. 21 but are still up 11% on the year.Semiconductor-Equipment ManufacturersThe makers of equipment used to produce semiconductors are benefiting from the supply crunch as chipmakers rush to add capacity to their factories and governments concerned about national security risks are looking at measures to encourage local production. The combination has created a spending environment that some analysts say will benefit the industry for years.Applied Materials, the biggest equipment maker, has seen its shares double in the past six months, while Lam Research has gained 77% over the same period, nearly twice the return for the Philadelphia semiconductor index. ASML Holding NV is up 74%.TSMC committed to as much as $28 billion in capital spending in 2021, up from $17 billion the year before, while Intel Corp. unveiled a plan on March 23 to pour billions of dollars into production facilities.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.