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My question now is, since this bull run has been tagged with major speculations, how can a potential investor navigate his or her way through a long-term, meaningful and financially impactful projects as against those riding on just the hypes?
Like in most investments, no risk no gain. There is no magical formula that will bring you profits for sure, as that kind of low risk is usually rewarded 3% max. Take, for example, the typical bank deposit. So even if you may think that going long-term with meaningful projects will be safer than riding pure hypes, the truth is that many things can go wrong for the holder too.
If you want to navigate "safely" invest mainly in Bitcoin or diversify your portfolio if you prefer, but don't invest heavily in other projects with a more dubious future, and don't be too greedy and take profits from time to time.