Cryptocurrency Trading 2024: Everything You Need To Know To Start Today

Risk Warning: Your Capital is at Risk.

Are you curious about trading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum or Dogecoin? If so, it’s a good idea to find as much information on digital currency as you can before choosing an exchange or trading platform.

This guide will explain what drives the price of digital assets and how to get started trading cryptocurrency. We’ll also give you our recommendations for where to buy and trade digital coins.

In a hurry? Here’s a quick preview of top crypto brokers available in with modern mobile trading platforms:

Disclaimer: Availability subject to regulations.
Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.

What Is Cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies. They are created using digital cryptography to process transactions and create new “coins.”

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are popular because they are decentralized. In other words, banks and governments don’t control access to the currency. In contrast, fiat currencies are more easily manipulated by governments and banks.

There are thousands of Bitcoin alternatives called altcoins. Cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Ripple have improved upon Bitcoin’s original model or created differences in their currencies to support niche uses.

What Is Blockchain?

If you’ve heard of cryptocurrency, chances are you’ve also heard the term “blockchain,” since its technology is what makes cryptocurrencies unique and valuable. We’ll use Bitcoin as an example.

In simplest terms, blockchain is a method of storing all Bitcoin transactions in a ledger that’s attached to each and every coin.

From a digital perspective, blockchain is literally a chain of programmatic blocks. Each block lists transaction details like dates, times, amounts, and traders involved. All of the blocks together are called a chain, which functions like a publicly-accessible, if encrypted, database.

Blockchain gives structure to the Bitcoin ledger. The ledger is encoded by cryptography so that its contents are insulated from hackers and can be copied to any computer. The use of cryptography also makes it very difficult to forge coins.

Pricing the Cryptocurrency Market

Cryptocurrencies are a high-risk trading instrument since they are much newer than fiat currencies, this makes their value difficult to predict.

Cryptocurrencies may be appropriate for traders who are looking for a high-risk, potentially high-reward trading instrument.

Crypto Market Size

The University of Cambridge conducted two benchmarking studies on cryptocurrency, the most recent in 2019. Here are some of the findings.

Over 139 million crypto wallets	Only 38% of wallets (about 52.8 million) are considered active.
52% of crypto companies work 2+ sectors	The number of cryptocurrency companies operating across two cryptocurrency industry sectors or more, giving rise to an increasing number of universal cryptocurrency companies.
84% of providers support more than one coin	Multi-coin support by service providers has doubled since 2017. Over 84% of providers now offer support for more than one type of coin.
164% growth in numbers of employees	The number of employees working in the cryptoasset industry grew by 164% from 2017 to 2018, with a median number of 20 employees per firm.

What Drives the Price of Cryptocurrencies?

Situations that affect cryptocurrencies are typically different from what affects fiat currencies.

Simultaneous volatility – The cryptocurrency market is characterized by steep rises and sudden dramatic falls. An interesting quirk of cryptocurrency is that multiple coins tend to rise and fall in tandem.

Media attention – As a currency hits the news, it is typical to see an influx of new traders. This tends to precipitate a rise in value. Early traders may then engage in profit-taking. Other traders panic and a rush to sell ensues, leading to a drop in price.

Impending regulation – The prospect of regulation can make cryptocurrency traders bearish.

Coin idiosyncrasies – Individual currencies are influenced by very specific factors. The most common reason a cryptocurrency sees a boost in value is support from the financial sector, but other factors (eg, a security problem) can impact values on a per-coin basis.

Where Can I Trade Crypto?

Before you start trading cryptocurrency, you should find out if it’s legal in your area to do so.

Crypto Regulatory Bodies

Various regulatory bodies around the world make laws that apply to cryptocurrency trading. Here are the largest regulators.

Countries	Regulators
Australia	Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
Canada	Canadian Securities Administrator (CSA)
European Union	Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
Germany	Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFiN)
Japan	Financial Services Agency (FSA)
New Zealand	Financial Markets Authority (FMA)
Switzerland	Financial Markets Supervisory Authority (FINMA)
United Kingdom	Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
United States	Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Security and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Crypto Trading by Country

Many countries allow some form of cryptocurrency purchasing or trading.

Crypto Trading in US States, Districts, and Territories

In the US, cryptocurrency trading legality varies by state. Here’s a map showing where eToro allows crypto trading.

How to Start Trading Cryptocurrencies

Before you start trading crypto, we have put together some simple steps to help minimize your losses.

This short guide explains what you need to know before getting started.

1. Do your research on how the cryptocurrency market works. You may encounter new phrases, so understand the core terminologies. Supply and demand cycles are also different in the cryptocurrency space. Coins are created and distributed in a variety of ways, depending on the type of blockchain, as well as retail and commercial traders’ access to coins.
2. Choose a platform and learn about what features distinguish crypto trading platforms. Some platforms offer crypto derivatives like CFDs, options, and forex, but ensure that what you want to trade is available in your country. Others offer real cryptos. Fees, account types, products offered, supported funding methods, and platform availability (e.g. mobile/desktop) are just a few variables to keep in mind. Learn more in our Crypto Broker Guide.
3. Practice with play money, or demo money. Brokers like Plus500 and eToro offer a demo account where you can practice cryptocurrency CFD trading. However, if you’re in the US or UK, this isn’t an option, since crypto CFDs are banned in both countries. Binance is also a widely available cryptocurrency platform with a demo account, along with a good selection of charting and analytics tools.
4. Verify your account with the broker whose fees you can afford and supports the crypto products you want in your country. This typically requires proof-of-identification (e.g. passport, driver’s license), proof-of-address (e.g. utility bill). In some cases, you’re also asked to present a social security number or corresponding tax identifier.
5. Secure your account with a bare minimum of two-factor authentication, ideally SMS, as well as email  authentication. Crypto brokers tend to have a guide on how you can do this in a few easy steps.
6. Make a deposit and start trading with real money. Remember to deposit only what you can afford to lose. Keep an eye on the broker’s fees and/or third party payment providers’ fees on your deposits and withdrawals.
7. Know your rights and obligations of what you can and cannot legally do in your country when it comes to cryptocurrencies. For example, find out whether you’re subject to income tax on any profits gained from crypto trading.

Start trading Bitcoin at eToro today

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Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

Cryptocurrency Exchanges

One way to purchase crypto is by using a cryptocurrency exchange. With an exchange, you can:

• Use fiat money to buy tokens (ie, coins)
• Store cryptocurrency in a digital wallet
• Trade tokens for different cryptocurrencies that are available on the exchange.

Using an exchange can be a risky prospect. Ensure that you research the following criteria before choosing a cryptocurrency exchange.

Fees Associated With Exchanges

A crypto exchange generates funds primarily through fees. Most traders will want to choose exchanges with low fees. However, some exchanges do offer more features in exchange for higher fees.

Here are the most common types of fees:

• Trade fees: Usually take the form of a maker or taker fee. Traders are charged a fee to place a trade on the market or to take someone up on a trade. Trade fees can be up to 1% of the transaction, depending on currency pairs or payment method.
• Deposit and withdrawal fees: It’s typically cheaper to deposit money with an exchange than to withdraw from it. Some exchanges allow you to deposit via a credit card but this typically incurs fees between 3-4%.
• Exchange fees: These fees are exacted when converting tokens between currencies. The amount of the fee varies depending on the currencies involved.

Identity Verification

Most traders will want to use an exchange that has ID vetting. Identity verification can help prevent illegal or fraudulent activity.

If you are concerned about your identity being linked to your Bitcoin for philosophical reasons, there are some options. However, the whole market is changing. In mid-2019, LocalBitcoins stopped allowing this.

Currency Pairs Offered

Not all exchanges offer the same currency pairs. Some focus exclusively on a single currency, usually Bitcoin. Other exchanges provide trading across hundreds of altcoins.

Two of the best exchanges when it comes to the variety of currency pairs are Kraken (over 30 unique cryptocurrencies with 85+ fiat/crypto and 65+ crypto/crypto pairs) and Coinbase (over 20 unique cryptocurrencies).

Security

Make sure you research potential exchanges for factors that make the platform safer to use. Factors to consider include:

• The age, history, and stability of the exchange
• Scam-prevention
• Individual trader ratings
• Reviews and comments from the exchange’s users.

Top Cryptocurrency Exchanges

Here are some popular cryptocurrency exchanges:

Cryptocurrency Trading Platforms

Instead of owning cryptocurrencies directly, another way you can speculate on crypto is with a regulated broker that offer various trading products like forex, options and CFDs. Start your research with reviews of these regulated brokers available in :

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74%-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Please Note: Availability subject to regulations. Cryptocurrency CFDs are not available to UK retail traders.

Choosing a Crypto Trading Broker

Picking a CFD broker can be difficult, but you should first ensure that the broker is regulated because:

1. They must comply with high security and ethical standards to ensure that deposited money is safe.
2. They must comply with laws designed to protect traders.

Let’s discuss some of the factors you should consider before choosing a crypto broker.

Commissions and Spreads

The cryptocurrency market is highly competitive which means that very few regulated brokers charge commission fees.

Instead, they make money by charging on the spread. A spread is a percentage per “unit” (or token/coin) which can add up quickly with the low-value, high-density currencies.

Most regulated brokers, such as Markets.com, are transparent about costs. They include a minimum spread per unit in US dollars (USD) which makes it easy to figure out exactly what you are being charged.

Make sure you also check to see whether a broker charges fees or commissions for holding a position overnight. Be aware that many brokers charge a premium for this service. Overnight fees can add up quickly.

Extra Features

Brokers often provide extra features to help you manage your trading risk, which can be worth paying a bit more in spreads.

These features range from the risk management tools at Plus500 to the unique social trading aspects of a more newbie-friendly broker like AvaTrade.

Experienced traders may find the diversity of instruments and pattern-recognition tools offered by CMC Markets to be more helpful.

Try the Demo Account

Most crypto trading brokers offer a free demo account. Demo accounts allow you to test a broker’s trading interface, tools, and resources, by making trades with play money.

Features to consider in a demo account:

1. Expiry – With some brokers, your demo account never expires — eg, eToro.
2. Switching – Many brokers make it easy to switch back and forth between the demo account and your “real money” account — eg, Fortrade.

Crypto Coins Overview

There are a huge number of cryptocurrencies in existence, making it hard to decide which coins to trade. To guide your choices, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most popular cryptocurrencies, but here’s a good overview:

Bitcoin

Bitcoin (BTC) is the cryptocurrency that started it all and it remains the gold standard for a cryptocurrency.

It can now be used to buy goods and services electronically — and can also be used as a way to pay for goods in foreign currency while avoiding transaction fees.

Bitcoin is by far the most popular cryptocurrency and many crypto traders choose to start trading crypto with it.

Here’s a chart showing how Bitcoin has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

See Our Full Bitcoin Trading Guide.

Bitcoin Cash

A disagreement within Bitcoin’s user base about how to resolve the problem of long transaction times led to a hard fork.

The solution was to dramatically increase the block size while removing Bitcoin’s Segregated Witness (SegWit). The disgruntled users decided to part way with Bitcoin and thus Bitcoin Cash (BCH) was born.

Here’s a chart showing how Bitcoin Cash has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

See Our Bitcoin Cash Trading Guide.

Dash

Dash (DASH) was created to fix perceived flaws in the Bitcoin concept – specifically anonymity protection and transaction speed.

Originally called xcoin, then darkcoin, Dash can confirm a transaction in seconds and has workarounds to prevent double-spending.

Dash also mixes the transactions of multiple users using coinjoin which helps to anonymize them.

Here’s a chart showing how Dash has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Learn more with our free Dash Trading Guide.

Decred

Decred (DCR) is another altcoin that tried to fix what was wrong with Bitcoin — in this case, scalability.

Along the way, Decred democratized itself by giving its stakeholders a voice in changes to the blockchain. In doing so, they hoped to avoid bad blood caused by controversial forks to other coins.

Here’s a chart showing how Decred has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Want to know more about Decred? See our free Decred Trading Guide.

Dogecoin

If you recognize the meme that Dogecoin (DOGE) is based on, you’ll probably smile. This altcoin started as a joke, but it took on a legitimate life of its own, thanks to its friendly community of users.

Dogecoin is used to tip Twitter and Reddit users, which is a fitting tribute to its fun beginnings.

Here’s a chart showing how Dogecoin has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Check out our free Dogecoin Trading Guide.

Ethereum

Ethereum (ETH) is a serious contender to Bitcoin’s dominance of the market. This altcoin is technically a programming language running through a blockchain.

Ethereum acts like a decentralized computer, designed to run without any downtime, fraud, or interference from third parties.

It is also bought and sold as a conventional digital currency. The potential applications of Ethereum are incredibly promising.

Here’s a chart showing how Ethereum has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Learn more about trading Ethereum in our free Ethereum Trading Guide.

IOTA

IOTA (MIOTA) was developed as a way to facilitate free microtransactions between devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT).

It is a unique cryptocurrency that instead of using a blockchain ledger, uses a directed acyclic graph (DAG) called Tangle. Tangle could very well be the future of cryptocurrency.

Here’s a chart showing how IOTA has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Want to know more about IOTA? See our free IOTA Trading Guide.

Litecoin

Litecoin (LTC) was created with the aim to be the silver to Bitcoin’s gold.

It was designed to be easier to obtain than Bitcoin and generate four times as many coins through faster block generation.

Litecoin’s founders also wanted to prevent wealthy miners from having undue influence on the future of the currency.

Here’s a chart showing how Litecoin has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Learn more with our free Litecoin Trading Guide.

Monero

Monero (XMR) is designed to provide its users with as much anonymity as possible.

Like Bitcoin, Monero was created to buy goods and services. Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to do it completely anonymously.

In the Bitcoin blockchain, it is possible to see every transaction on the blockchain, but Monero only stores a temporary address, making the source of the transaction untraceable.

Here’s a chart showing how Monero has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Read our free Monero Trading Guide to learn more.

NEO

NEO (NEO) was developed in China as a new take on Ethereum’s smart contracts, leading many traders to dub it the “Ethereum of China.”

NEO improves upon the Ethereum network in just about every way, including plugging gaps that made Ethereum vulnerable to hackers.

NEO’s blockchain also includes a digital identity along with transactions. Users can choose to trade only with confirmed identities, protecting them from scams.

Here’s a chart showing how NEO has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Get all the details on NEO with our free NEO Trading Guide.

Ripple

Ripple (XRP) was designed as a bridge between cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies, earning it the support of major banks.

Ripple’s goal is to enable secure, instant, and low-cost global financial transactions. It’s even used by many banks within their settlement infrastructure.

Ripple has the potential to be the most disruptive cryptocurrency available today.

Here’s a chart showing how XRP has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Learn more about Ripple today with our free Ripple Trading Guide.

Verge

Verge (XVG) started as a fork of Dogecoin and considers itself a darkcoin.

Verge’s blockchain features both TOR and I2P integration which anonymize users. It offers e-wallets that are usable on every platform, most notably Linux.

Verge has popped up on the trader radar as a key privacy coin.

Here’s a chart showing how Verge has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Find out more about Verge in our free Verge Trading Guide.

Zcash

Zcash (ZEC) is another coin that prioritizes privacy and decentralization.

A team of computer scientists and cryptographers made cryptography breakthroughs that allow Zcash users to make untraceable transactions.

Like Bitcoin, Zcash has a fixed supply of coins.

Here’s a chart showing how Zcash has performed versus the US dollar over the last five years:

Check out our free Zcash Trading Guide.

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FAQs

How much does it cost to trade cryptocurrency?

Costs to trade crypto vary widely. You can see relative US dollar values of altcoins in our comparison table above. To purchase cryptocurrency on an exchange, you may be charged trading (buy/sell) fees, deposit/withdrawal fees, and currency exchange fees. If you choose to trade with a regulated broker instead, you’ll need to look for commissions (uncommon) or spreads (typical).

Is crypto trading still profitable?

It’s impossible to say what the future holds for cryptocurrencies. And even if its long-term trend is upward, it’s still possible to lose large amounts of money via short-term fluctuations in the volatile market. So although it’s possible to make money by trading cryptocurrency or its derivatives, it’s not easy or safe for the casual trader. We recommend crypto trading only for experienced traders.

Can you day trade crypto on Robinhood?

Robinhood, an online brokerage, offers commission-free cryptocurrency trading in some countries. They have day trading rules that are designed to protect traders from taking on too much risk. As such, traders can’t make more than three-day trades in a five-day period. However, some high-deposit accounts are exempted from this rule.

Has COVID-19 impacted coins the same as fiat currencies?

Initially, COVID-19’s global lockdowns caused Bitcoin’s value against the US dollar to plummet. However, in the second quarter of 2020, BTC started to bounce back to nearly its pre-pandemic price while the US dollar index (DXY) has been much more volatile. That said, the uncertainty inspired by the pandemic will likely make it impossible to predict how either of these currency types will fare in the near future.

Do you pay tax on cryptocurrency trading?

Taxes vary by country. In the United States, cryptocurrency is regarded as property rather than currency. That means, according to the IRS, you would owe income or capital gains taxes on any amount you earned over what you invested in the coin. Profits are taxed as capital gains at 15%. On the other hand, you can write off up to $3,000 on crypto losses.

Is cryptocurrency trading 24/7?

Yes. Since cryptocurrencies are decentralized and not reliant upon banking hours, crypto can be traded around the clock. However, most online brokerages and some exchanges have trading hours. For example, IG is only open for trading from 8:00 Saturday to 22:00 Friday. That means you can’t trade crypto for ten hours between 10pm Friday night through 8am Saturday morning.

What was the first cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin was the first decentralized, digital, blockchain-based currency, and it’s still going strong today. However, there were attempts to create digital currencies before blockchain. These currencies include Hashcash, Bit Gold, B-money, and DigiCash. Some of the ideas behind these digital currencies influenced the development of bitcoin, but none of these early coins are extant today.

How many cryptocurrencies are there?

Crypto tracking website CoinMarketCap lists over 8,000 altcoins and tokens. However, most brokerages and exchanges limit their offerings based on how much interest there is in a particular digital currency, so you won’t find 8,000+ coins at every brokerage. For example, eToro offers 15 altcoins to trade while IG offers eight coins plus an index.

Further Reading

• How to Avoid Crypto Scams
• Learn to Trade Bitcoin
• Ethereum Trading
• Learn to Trade Commodities
• Find an Online Trading Broker in Your Country

Credits: Original Cryptocurrency page written by Lawrence Pines. Major updates and additions in January 2021 by Natalie Mootz with contributions from the Commodity.com editorial team.