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Is Bitcoin the Best Cryptocurrency You Can Buy Right Now?
Key Points
Daily price movements tied to oil or tech earnings often distract investors from Bitcoin's long-term value.
Institutional forecasts range from a conservative 10% annual return to Ark Invest's target of nearly $800,000 by 2030.
Buying Bitcoin instead of highly volatile altcoins is the best way to gain crypto exposure without losing sleep.
If you're reading the financial news daily, you may well be under the impression that Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) price is some kind of magic number that's directly linked to tech earnings, the price of oil, or whatever's going on in the Middle East on any particular Tuesday. The story is always in flux.
At the high end of the scale, Ark Invest (Cathie Wood) forecasts Bitcoin to reach nearly $800k by 2030. At the low end, JPMorgan Chase says it could go to zero in theory, while still setting a very reasonable base case of 10% returns per annum.
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Looking past the daily hype
Here's my take: I can't guarantee that Bitcoin will beat all the other cryptos (or indeed any of them) over the next 1, 5, or 10 years. My time machine is in for repairs again (those flux capacitors are rather flimsy and expensive). I'd need it back before daring to make such a claim.
There's no guarantee that Bitcoin will be the best-performing digital asset, but it is very much the safest crypto investment you can make at the moment. You could probably make an argument for stablecoins, but in that case, you'd be just as well off with a high-yield savings account.
Competing networks are in a state of flux. Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) are both in the midst of huge network upgrades designed to increase transaction speed and open up new markets. All of that notwithstanding, Bitcoin's fundamental value lies in its stability, the trust it commands from institutions, and its proven track record of surviving multiple market cycles.
That would have sounded utterly unrealistic and wrong just a few years ago. The crypto space has moved on, though, and we now have an elder statesman of the sector with a growing track record of stability. That's Bitcoin.
Built for the long haul
It doesn't have to be the fastest network to be the best long-term holding. Looking ahead, the integration of quantum-safe encryption will be a key milestone. When that pivotal upgrade comes along, Bitcoin is set for many years of safe, stable, and generally useful blockchain ledger holdings.
The same arguments could be made for other cryptos too, just not as convincingly as they can be made for Bitcoin. It's still the bedrock of the crypto world even when the rest of the market is in a frenzy.
So if you're planning to buy just one cryptocurrency in the final quarter of 2026, Bitcoin should be it. Unlike many of its ultra-volatile peers, this cryptocurrency will let you sleep at night.
JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Anders Bylund has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, JPMorgan Chase, and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.