Cryptocurrencies Trading at Vanguard
Do you want to get in on the cryptocurrencies craze? There are several ways to do this, and Vanguard offers a few of them. Here’s what you can do with a Vanguard account:
Trading the Blockchain
Every transaction of a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin goes into a computerized ledger. This digital record is permanent, and the public can view it on demand. Called the blockchain, several tech companies are interested in it. Why? Because they see the ability to circumvent cyber crime.
Vanguard unfortunately doesn’t offer any trading in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies directly. But it is possible to purchase companies that are investing in the blockchain.
One example we found on Vanguard’s platform is PayPal. Starting as a provider of Internet payments, the company has recently expanded into the blockchain and cryptocurrencies. For example, PayPal users are now able to buy, hold, and sell a range of digital currencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.
PayPal trades on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol PYPL. The stock has a market cap of $315 billion, which means this is a very large company. It does not pay a dividend, however, and its P/E ratio is 76; so this is definitely a growth stock.
Blockchain Funds at Vanguard
Trading just one stock comes with added risks that portfolios of stocks can help reduce or eliminate altogether. That’s why there are blockchain ETFs. These are funds of blockchain stocks. By investing in a basket of stocks, you can reduce the amount of volatility that one stock comes with.
A blockchain fund we found at Vanguard is KOIN. This is the Innovation Shares NextGen Protocol ETF. It invests in companies that are themselves investing in the blockchain. Besides PayPal, this fund also holds these stocks:
Intel
Visa
Microsoft
Amazon
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
KOIN passively tracks the Innovation Labs Blockchain Innovators Index. According to the fund’s prospectus, it is able to invest up to 20% of its assets in other securities.
KOIN only has $20 million in assets right now, so this is a very small fund.
Blockchain Options
Stocks and ETFs often have options trading on them, and some blockchain securities are no different. For PayPal, we found thousands of option contracts on Vanguard’s website. Using calls and puts, it’s possible to make either bearish or bullish trades on PayPal. Unfortunately, Vanguard’s software does not offer multi-leg strategies.
Other Brokers for Cryptocurrencies
If ETFs, stocks, and options don’t appeal to you, there is always direct Bitcoin trading at other
brokers. Webull, for instance, offers cryptocurrency trading. With a Webull account, you can invest in these digital currencies:
- Aave (AAVE)
- Algorand (ALGO)
- Apecoin (APE)
- Avalanche (AVA)
- BAT (BAT)
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
- Cardano (ADA)
- BNTUSD (BNT)
- Chainlink (LINK)
- Chiliz (CHZ)
- COMPUSD (COMP)
- Cosmos (ATOM)
- Crypto.com Coin (CRO)
- Curve DAO (CRV)
- Dash (DASH)
- Decentraland (MANA)
- ENJUSD (ENJ)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Ethereum Classic (ETC)
- Dogecoin (DOGE)
- Fantom (FTM)
- FILUSD (FIL)
- Gala (GALA)
- ICPUSD (ICP)
- LINK (LINK)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- Loopring (LRC)
- Maker (MKR)
- Polygon (MATIC)
- REN (REN)
- SHIB (SHIB)
- Solana (SOL)
- Stella Lumens (XLM)
- Sushi (SUSH)
- Stella Lumens (XLM)
- Terra (LUNA)
- Tezos(XTZ)
- The Graph (GRT)
- UNI (UNI)
- USD Coin (USDC)
- XLM (XLM)
- yearn.finance (YFI)
- Zcash (ZEC)
Like Vanguard’s stock and ETF trading service, Webull’s cryptocurrency service comes with $0
commissions. Learn more...
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Trading at Webull vs. Trading at Vanguard
One advantage of Webull over Vanguard in the Bitcoin space is that you’ll be able to invest a whole-dollar amount in currencies at Webull. For example, you can buy just $5 of Bitcoin. Vanguard does not offer whole-dollar investing in stocks or ETFs.
Another advantage Webull provides over Vanguard is its software. Webull’s trading platforms are much more advanced than anything Vanguard has. It’s possible to chart Bitcoin and other cryptos in full-screen mode with technical indicators. Webull also has a desktop platform, something that Vanguard customers don’t get.
On the flip side, Webull’s cryptocurrency trading service doesn’t come with SIPC insurance. SIPC provides protection only on securities, which are assets like stocks, options, and ETFs. There is currently no insurance on Bitcoin holdings or other crypto positions.
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