What is Bitcoin dominance?
Bitcoin dominance is Bitcoin's share of the total crypto market value. Here is what it measures, why it moves, and how to read it without overreacting.
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The questions behind the newsLearn
The questions behind the news, answered plainly. How crypto and markets actually work, with no jargon and no hype.
What is a stablecoin?
A stablecoin is a crypto token designed to hold a steady value, usually one US dollar. Here is how the main types work, how they fail, and what to check.
Read the explainer ▸What is a Layer 2 (rollup)?
A Layer 2 processes transactions cheaply and settles them on a main chain like Ethereum. Here is how rollups work, the two main types, and the trade-offs.
Read the explainer ▸What is a spot Bitcoin ETF?
A spot Bitcoin ETF holds real Bitcoin and trades on a stock exchange: regulated exposure without self-custody. How it works, the costs, and what flows mean.
Read the explainer ▸What is total value locked (TVL)?
Total value locked is the dollar value of assets deposited in a crypto protocol. It signals traction but is easy to misread. How to use it well.
Read the explainer ▸How holding a crypto ETF differs from holding the coin itself
A spot Bitcoin ETF and a Bitcoin wallet both give you price exposure, but custody, fees, hours, and what you actually own are different.
Read the explainer ▸How to read a token unlock schedule before you buy
Token unlock schedules show when insiders can sell. Here's how to find one, read the cliff and vesting curve, and size the risk before you buy.
Read the explainer ▸How restaking works, and the risk you take on with it
Restaking lets staked ETH secure extra protocols for extra yield. Here's the mechanism, a worked example, and the slashing risk that comes with it.
Read the explainer ▸How liquidation cascades turn a small drop into a crash
A 5% dip can become a 30% crash when leveraged positions unwind. Here's the mechanism behind liquidation cascades and how to check your exposure.
Read the explainer ▸How MEV changes the price you actually get on a swap
The quote your wallet shows isn't always the fill you get. Here's how MEV bots sandwich swaps and what to check before you trade.
Read the explainer ▸How crypto taxes work when you swap one token for another
Swapping ETH for a new token feels like one move, but tax authorities see two. Here's how the taxable event works and how to calculate what you owe.
Read the explainer ▸How a bridge hack happens, step by step
Cross-chain bridges have lost over $2.8B to exploits. Here's the actual mechanism attackers use, with real examples, before you move funds across chains.
Read the explainer ▸How exchanges set the price you see, and why it differs across venues
The price on your app isn't "the" price. Here's how exchanges actually generate it, and why Coinbase, Binance and a DEX can quote different numbers.
Read the explainer ▸How to check whether a stablecoin is really backed
A practical guide to verifying stablecoin reserves: what attestations actually prove, what they don't, and the documents worth reading before you trust a peg.
Read the explainer ▸How ETF creation and redemption actually works, and why it matters for flows
A plain look at the plumbing behind ETF shares: who creates them, who redeems them, and why "inflows" and "outflows" mean something specific.
Read the explainer ▸How on-chain governance actually decides anything
On-chain governance turns token votes into code changes. Here's the actual mechanism, a worked example, and why turnout usually decides more than debate.
Read the explainer ▸How to read a smart contract audit report without being a developer
You don't need to code to get useful signal from an audit report. Here's what to check first, what the severity ratings actually mean, and what audits can't tell you.
Read the explainer ▸How token unlocks move a token's price, with real examples and numbers
Token unlocks add new supply to the market on a fixed schedule. Here's the mechanism, real examples, and what to check before an unlock date.
Read the explainer ▸How to judge a token's real traction beyond price
A guide to reading holder growth, protocol revenue, and developer activity to tell real token usage from price hype.
Read the explainer ▸How stablecoin depegs happen, using real examples with numbers
A stablecoin is supposed to trade at $1. Here's the mechanism that breaks that promise, with real depeg numbers from UST, USDC, and DAI.
Read the explainer ▸How miner economics work after the halving
Bitcoin's block subsidy just got cut in half again. Here's how that changes miner revenue, breakeven costs, and what to watch for signs of stress.
Read the explainer ▸How to tell a real audit from a proof-of-reserves screenshot
A proof-of-reserves post and an audit look similar but prove different things. Here's how to check which one an exchange actually gave you.
Read the explainer ▸How to read a crypto white paper without falling for it
How to read a crypto white paper: check the token mechanics, team, and code links before the narrative, not after.
Read the explainer ▸How to read stablecoin reserve reports without taking the issuer's word
A practical guide to reading stablecoin attestations: what they actually verify, what they skip, and which lines in the report matter most.
Read the explainer ▸How custody works across exchanges, ETFs and self-custody, and what you give up at each step
A practical look at who actually holds your bitcoin or ether when you buy it through an exchange, an ETF, or your own wallet, and what each choice costs you.
Read the explainer ▸What is slippage in crypto trading, and how do you size around it
What is slippage in crypto trading? It's the gap between the price you expect and the price you get. Here's the mechanism and how to size trades around it.
Read the explainer ▸How are crypto gains taxed: a worked example
How are crypto gains taxed in the US? A worked example with short-term and long-term rates, cost basis, and what triggers a taxable event.
Read the explainer ▸How does a crypto exchange make money
How does a crypto exchange make money? Trading fees, spreads, listing fees, and staking cuts, with real numbers and the tradeoffs to check before you trade.
Read the explainer ▸How does crypto lending work, and where does the yield actually come from
How crypto lending works: you deposit tokens, borrowers pay interest to access them, and a protocol or company sits in between. Here's where the yield comes from.
Read the explainer ▸How to spot a crypto scam before you send funds
How to spot a crypto scam using five checks: unsolicited contact, guaranteed returns, withdrawal friction, address mismatches, and urgency pressure.
Read the explainer ▸How does a bitcoin ETF work, from creation unit to the fee you pay
How does a bitcoin ETF work? Authorized participants create shares backed by real BTC in a custody vault, and you pay an expense ratio for that convenience.
Read the explainer ▸How to store crypto safely: comparing wallets and what each one costs you
How to store crypto safely means choosing between exchange custody, hot wallets, and hardware wallets, each trading convenience for control. Here's what each costs.
Read the explainer ▸How mass arbitration clauses shape what happens when you dispute an exchange
Your exchange's terms of service likely route disputes to individual arbitration. Here's how mass arbitration campaigns work around that, and what it costs.
Read the explainer ▸How on-chain data gets from a block to a chart, and where it can mislead
A block is just numbers and hashes. Here's the pipeline that turns it into the chart you screenshot, and the three places it can quietly lie to you.
Read the explainer ▸How a spot Bitcoin ETF actually holds bitcoin, and what the fee pays for
A look at the custody chain behind a spot Bitcoin ETF and what the annual expense ratio is actually paying for.
Read the explainer ▸What ETF inflow and outflow numbers do and do not tell you
Daily ETF flow headlines get read as buy or sell pressure. Here's what the number actually measures, and where it misleads.
Read the explainer ▸Read any crypto situation like an analyst.
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