I was trying to find a good picture to use for this post and it suddenly occurred to me that this sign in my office might just be the perfect one. It isn't flashy, it probably won't garner a lot of attention (or upvotes) for this post, but as we slowly close the door on 2023, it just felt fitting.
If you ask almost anyone, they will probably tell you they are shocked we are already at this point. I've seen my fair share of posts from people talking about how horrible the last couple of years have been, but I haven't seen anyone say they aren't surprised that we are already knocking on 2024's door.
It's hard not to get caught up in all the hype that is surrounding the impending year. Halving, spot ETFs (that are supposed to be revised by today I think), and all kinds of other speculation is running rampant. It's important to remember that right now, it is just that. While logically it makes sense that ETFs and a reduction in the amount of BTC being mined should drive prices up, there is always something right around the corner to drive them back down again.
This is the time to be smart, save your emotions for your significant other or the person on the stool next to you down at the local bar.
It is time again for another Finance Friday/Friday Finance. This is a series I started where I talk about random bits of financial stuff that I have seen, gathered, or experienced during the week. I hope as a reader you find it informational, entertaining, or both. I also hope it can generate some good discussion and edify the community.
What's that you said about missing HBD?
So just about a month and a half ago, I saw some news that BUSD was not in a good place. I don't know if it was FUD or actually true, but it got me looking at some of my other investments outside of HIVE. Besides Splinterlands, my only other investment on BSC is tied to CUB, I had some BUSD and BHBD paired together in a farm earning me the CUB token.
Given the current price, overall sentiment (sorry, but it's true) on the CUB token, and uncertainty around BUSD, I decided I didn't need to farm any more CUB, so I pulled my tokens out of the farm. I swapped my BUSD into BHBD and then used the Leo bridge to send that over to the Hive Chain.
After a couple days without receiving my funds, I created a ticket on the Leo Discord server. Over the next month and a half, I got constant assurances that my funds were on their way. Trust me, I know people have been in worse situations, so I am not really complaining, just informing and perhaps mildly venting.
Fast forward to yesterday when I finally received a portion of my HBD along with a message in the trouble ticket. Apparently, there may have been some sort of manipulation happening with the price of BHBD and this led to some large liquidations. Mine just got wrapped up in the mix. The plan now is for LEO to handle "large" BHBD to HBD conversions similar to power downs on HIVE. The funds will be distributed once a week across 13 weeks. It is what it is, but I have a few issues with this whole thing.
First, I was hoping to get that HBD so I could buy HIVE at $.32 not $.36. By the time my 13 weeks is up, who knows where HIVE will be. If it's over $.50, you better believe I won't be very happy.
Second, I don't really feel like 440 HBD is a "large" amount given what some people are slinging around here. I guess it's all relative.
Finally, I think the thing that bugs me the most about this is the lack of communication (which honestly has always been a bit of an issue with LEO). If there is an issue just tell me there is an issue and that it is going to take some time to fix it. I can handle that better than promising me "soon" or that my ticket is the next to be refunded and then a month later it still hasn't been. It's straight up lying and I don't think that is the look LEO wants to be sending.
I think we all get it, crap happens, if you don't realize that by now in this space, you probably don't belong here.
From what I have seen, they have a plan to move forward and I respect that. I just wish they had handled things a bit differently, at least for the sake of those who have invested in the community over the years.
At this point, bridging assets from BSC to HIVE through Splinterlands seems like the better move despite the fees.
Sharing some more silver
I was in my local precious metals store the other day picking up some last minute stuff for my secret santa gift when I came across this 1oz silver round in the display case. It immediately reminded me of a 1oz bar that someone else shared here on Hive a while ago.
It even had the divisions on the back like the bar did. I'm pretty sure the bar had the exact same phrase on the other side too, so I am guessing they came from the same place, just different formats. I had admired the bar in the post, so it was only right that I pick this up. I think I paid about $29 USD for it which at the time was just about $3 USD over the spot price of silver.
It's interesting how even if you go to the store to buy something for someone else, you always find yourself picking something up for your own collection too.
I'm still pretty pumped over my nephews reaction to the silver I got him for Christmas. I didn't expect him to be that excited about it, so that in turn makes me pretty excited about the prospect of buying him more next year.
Looking ahead
Two to three days. That's all we have left of 2023. For me it was a pretty good year. Sure, there were some ups (travel, family, food) and downs (a leaky trailer, hitting a deer), but overall the Bear has been good to me. My HIVE account is 2x to 3x where it was before the bear market, and I just found out yesterday that my traditional investments earned me five figures in capital gains and dividends this year.
If I write a post on Monday I will probably cover some of the tokens I am planning to keep an eye on for the impending bull cycle.
Be sure to check back for that!
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