A cryptocurrency transaction technically isn’t finalized until it’s added to the blockchain, which usually occurs within minutes. Once the transaction is finalized, it’s usually irreversible.
Another institutional hit for bitcoin–which probably had the most sustained effect–was the SEC’s refusal to approve a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). This would be a path for more mainstream people in finance to dabble with blockchain; it would allow investors to dip their toes in bitcoin without owning the actual asset. Not only that, but it would make bitcoin available on the most prominent financial markets. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), however, has yet to allow such a fund to exist–mostly because it is unable to monitor crypto-transactions in order to avoid market manipulation.

That seems to be the overall message from most. Even Innes, who has been critical of bitcoin and crypto-trading for quite a while, admits that this doesn’t mean the blockchain is bunk. He, in fact, sees things looking up. “If this base can hold,” he says, “[the price will] start drifting up.” But not because of fervor or blind faith that bitcoin is the future, but due to advances on the technology side.
Since the Great Recession ended more than 12 years ago, growth stocks have been the talk of Wall Street. Historically low lending rates and an accommodative Federal Reserve have paved the way for fast-paced companies to borrow cheaply in order to hire, acquire, and innovate. A report from J.P. Morgan Asset Management, a division of JPMorgan Chase, found the average annual return for companies that initiated and grew their payouts between 1972 and 2012 completely trounced the average annual return of companies that didn't pay a dividend over the same four-decade span (9.5% vs. 1.6%).