Decentral Block Post

Legendary investor Warren Buffett sees no value in Bitcoin (BTC), infamously calling it “rat poison squared.” But data shows that adding Bitcoin to a so-called “rat poison portfolio,” an equally weighted portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, JPMorgan and BlackRock stocks, would have produced much better returns for The Oracle of Omaha.

“Rat poison portfolio” with Bitcoin does better 

Since 2014, allocating only 2.5% Bitcoin yearly to the rat poison portfolio increases returns by nearly 20% with reduced risks, according to independent market analyst Alpha Zeta. For now, the portfolio’s returns stand around 16%.

Despite Bitcoin’s notorious price volatility, Alpha Zeta noted that BTC’s correlation with the stocks of Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, JP Morgan and BlackRock is very low.

For instance, during the 2021–2023 bear market, allocating Bitcoin to the rat poison portfolio could have negated losses by around 10%.

In other words, BTC typically negates losses imposed by downside movements in the said stocks. Therefore, allocating a small portion of Bitcoin to the rat poison portfolio has proven to be a reasonable hedging strategy to offset potential negative returns.

The Polygon network, formerly the Matic network, is an Ethereum-scaling protocol that reduces cost and embeds high security. In a short span, Polygon has gained a high level of traction.

A string of solutions on a single network sets Polygon apart from other Ethereum scaling projects. It empowers developers to zero in on a scaling solution that works best with their applications. Polygon Labs has been consistently working to develop scaling solutions based on plasma sidechains, a blockchain bridge, different types of zero-knowledge proofs and Optimistic Rollups.

Processing bundles of transactions on the Polygon proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain drastically reduces the burden on the Ethereum main chain, making transactions faster. The throughput rate in the Ethereum base layer is roughly 14 transactions per second, while Polygon has the potential to handle exponentially higher transactions per second. 

Anyone wanting to participate in the network by updating transactional data on the system must stake Polygon (MATIC). In the Polygon network, a validator’s job is to ensure the network’s security and add transactions to blocks. Validators stake, allowing users to delegate tokens in exchange for rewards net of any commissions charged by validators. 

Staking of MATIC, explained

Anyone looking to stake MATIC has to delegate tokens to a validator. Stakers can earn rewards against the staked funds. For now, there are no minimum staking requirements though validators can decide the minimum acceptable limit for staking. Validators might charge fees or commissions for these services. Staked MATIC tokens have an unlocking period of 80 checkpoints, approximately three to four days. Stakers wanting to exit just need to send an unbound request.

Bitcoin (BTC) hit new intraday lows on April 21 as traders warned that $25,000 might come next.

Trader: $25,000 BTC price would be “absolutely fine”

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD struggling to preserve $28,000 as support on Bitstamp.

The pair looked “weak,” in the words of one analyst, as overnight events failed to resurrect any sign of its previous uptrend.

Amid local lows of $27,828, prognoses for Bitcoin now focused on a potential return to the area around a key trend line.

“Bitcoin testing our key local demand at 28k and not getting the best reaction. If this level is lost, 25-26k is likely tested but this is no cause for concern,” Credible Crypto summarized alongside a YouTube video.

Criticism has been leveled at a new euro-pegged stablecoin released in France due to a decision to restrict peer-to-peer transactions.

French bank Societe Generale-Forge (SGF) released the Ethereum-based stablecoin called EUR CoinVertible (EURCV) on April 20 which is available to only qualified institutional clients.

According to observers who reviewed its smart contract code, ERC-20 transfers need to first be approved by a centralized registrar — presumably one controlled by the bank — before the transaction is processed.

In an April 20 tweet, pseudonymous smart contract engineer “alephv.eth” explained:

“They coded it so they have to whitelist all users, process all user transfers, and even process your ERC20 approvals before they process your 'transferFrom' lmao.”