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Fear & Greed Index

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Ext. Fear
Fear
Neutral
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Ext. Greed

Fear & Greed Index powered by Alternative.me. Scores 0–25: Extreme Fear · 26–45: Fear · 46–55: Neutral · 56–75: Greed · 76–100: Extreme Greed

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Live Market

Top 20
Updates every 60s · Data: CoinGecko
# Asset Price (USD) Market Cap 24h Change 7d Change 7D Trend

Market data provided by CoinGecko. Not financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Live Converter

Any → Any

Rates update every 60 seconds. For reference only — not a live trading quote.

Education

Learning Center

Everything you need to understand the decentralized financial world — from first principles to advanced concepts.

What Is Cryptocurrency?

The Core Idea

Cryptocurrency is digital money secured by cryptography — mathematics so complex that forgery is practically impossible. Unlike dollars or euros, no government or bank controls it. Instead, it runs on a decentralized network of computers worldwide that collectively agree on every transaction.

Bitcoin, created in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, was the first. Today there are tens of thousands of cryptocurrencies, each with different purposes — from digital cash (Bitcoin) to smart contract platforms (Ethereum) to stable stores of value (USDC).

Key Properties

Decentralized
No single point of control or failure
Transparent
All transactions publicly verifiable
Immutable
Recorded transactions cannot be altered
Permissionless
Anyone with internet access can participate

Blockchain & Consensus

Blockchain: The Engine

A blockchain is a continuously growing list of records (blocks) chained together chronologically. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block — making tampering with any entry instantly detectable by the entire network.

Think of it as a public ledger that everyone can read, nobody can secretly edit, and thousands of computers back up simultaneously. This solves the "double-spend" problem: you can't spend the same coin twice.

Consensus Mechanisms

Proof of Work (PoW)

Miners compete to solve complex puzzles. First to solve adds the block and earns a reward. Used by Bitcoin. Highly secure but energy-intensive.

Proof of Stake (PoS)

Validators lock (stake) their coins as collateral. Chosen randomly to validate blocks. Used by Ethereum. Energy-efficient and scalable.

🔐 Crypto Wallets Explained

A crypto wallet doesn't store coins — it stores the private keys that prove ownership. Your coins live on the blockchain; the wallet is your access key.

🔌
Hot Wallet

Connected to the internet. Convenient for frequent trading. Examples: MetaMask, Trust Wallet. Higher risk of hacks.

🧊
Cold Wallet

Offline storage. Not connected to internet. Maximum security. Best for long-term holding of large amounts.

🔒
Hardware Wallet

Physical device (Ledger, Trezor). Stores private keys offline. Transactions signed inside the device — keys never exposed.

📱
Software Wallet

App on your phone or desktop. Easy to use, moderate security. Always backup your seed phrase in multiple secure locations.

⚠ The Golden Rule of Self-Custody

Your seed phrase (12–24 words) is the master key to all your funds. Never share it, screenshot it, or store it online. Write it on paper and keep it in multiple secure physical locations.

📈 Market Cycles & The Halving

Bull Market

Sustained price increases, growing adoption, positive sentiment. Characterized by "Fear of Missing Out" (FOMO) and mainstream media coverage. Can last 1–2 years in crypto.

Bear Market

Prolonged price decline (typically -80% from peak), low volume, negative sentiment. Called "crypto winter." Often lasts 12–18 months. Many projects fail; strong ones survive.

Bitcoin Halving

Every ~4 years (210,000 blocks), Bitcoin's block reward is cut in half. This reduces new BTC supply, historically triggering bull cycles. The 2024 halving reduced rewards from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC per block.

Key On-Chain Facts

21M

Max BTC Supply

Jan 3, 2009

Bitcoin Genesis Block

~10 min

BTC Block Time

~12 sec

ETH Block Time

1 Satoshi

= 0.00000001 BTC

1 Gwei

= 0.000000001 ETH

51%

Attack Threshold

2140

Last BTC Mined (Est.)

The Cryptiqo Lexicon

25 essential terms every crypto participant should know

DeFi

Decentralized Finance. Financial services (lending, borrowing, trading) built on public blockchains without banks or intermediaries.

DAO

Decentralized Autonomous Organization. A community governed by smart contracts and token holder votes — no CEO, no board.

NFT

Non-Fungible Token. A unique digital asset on the blockchain. Unlike Bitcoin, each NFT is one-of-a-kind and cannot be exchanged 1:1.

Stablecoin

A token pegged 1:1 to a stable asset (usually USD). USDC, USDT, DAI. Used to avoid volatility while staying in the crypto ecosystem.

Liquidity

How easily an asset can be bought or sold without moving its price. High liquidity = tight spreads and fast execution.

Smart Contract

Self-executing code on the blockchain. Automatically performs actions when conditions are met — no trusted third party needed.

Gas Fee

The fee paid to network validators for processing transactions. On Ethereum, gas is priced in Gwei. Spikes during high demand periods.

Fork

A change to blockchain protocol. Soft fork = backward-compatible update. Hard fork = creates a split (e.g. Bitcoin → Bitcoin Cash in 2017).

HODL

Originally a typo for "hold." Now an acronym: Hold On for Dear Life. Strategy of holding through volatility rather than trading.

Altcoin

Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano are altcoins. Some have real utility; many are speculative.

Market Cap

Current price × total circulating supply. The primary measure of a cryptocurrency's size and dominance in the market.

Mempool

The "waiting room" of unconfirmed transactions. Miners prioritize transactions with higher fees. A congested mempool = higher fees.

Seed Phrase

12–24 random words that restore your wallet. The master key to all your funds. Never share, never digitize. Keep offline in multiple locations.

Private Key

A 256-bit secret number proving ownership of a wallet address. Anyone with your private key can access and move your funds.

DEX

Decentralized Exchange. Trade crypto directly from your wallet without a middleman. Uniswap, dYdX, Curve. No KYC required.

CEX

Centralized Exchange. Coinbase, Binance, Kraken. They custody your funds and require identity verification. Convenient but trust-dependent.

Whale

An entity holding large amounts of cryptocurrency. Their trades can move markets significantly. Tracked by on-chain analytics tools.

FUD

Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt. Negative news or narratives (sometimes fabricated) spread to drive prices down. Common market manipulation tactic.

FOMO

Fear Of Missing Out. The emotional drive to buy an asset after it's already rallied sharply. Often leads to buying at the top.

Layer 2

A secondary framework built on top of a base blockchain to improve scalability. Examples: Lightning Network (BTC), Arbitrum, Optimism (ETH).

Tokenomics

The economic model of a cryptocurrency: supply, distribution, inflation rate, vesting, and utility. Critical for evaluating a project's long-term viability.

Airdrop

Free token distribution to wallet holders, often as a marketing tool or reward for early users. Can be valuable — but also used in scams.

Rug Pull

A scam where developers abandon a project and drain liquidity after attracting investors. Common in DeFi. Always audit team and contract code.

DCA

Dollar Cost Averaging. Investing a fixed amount at regular intervals regardless of price. Reduces timing risk and emotional decision-making.

ATH / ATL

All-Time High / All-Time Low. The historical peak and floor price of an asset. BTC ATH: ~$108,000 (Jan 2025). Context for evaluating current price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Legality varies by country. In most Western nations (US, EU, UK) crypto is legal but regulated. Some countries ban it outright. Always check the specific regulations in your jurisdiction before investing.
Use a regulated centralized exchange (Coinbase, Kraken, Binance) for your first purchase. Enable 2FA immediately. For long-term storage, transfer to a hardware wallet. Never share your seed phrase or private keys.
Bitcoin is designed as digital money and a store of value with a fixed 21M supply. Ethereum is a programmable blockchain platform that enables smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Bitcoin uses Proof of Work; Ethereum switched to Proof of Stake in 2022.
Yes. Cryptocurrency is highly volatile and speculative. Prices can fall 80–90% during bear markets. Projects can fail, exchanges can be hacked, and scams are common. Only invest what you can afford to lose entirely. Cryptiqo does not provide financial advice.
This phrase means that if a third party (exchange) holds your crypto, they control it. If they go bankrupt or get hacked (like FTX in 2022), your funds may be lost. True ownership means holding your own private keys in a self-custody wallet.

Financial Disclaimer: All data on Cryptiqo is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. Cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile and risky. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research (DYOR).