Valuation of cryptoasset is a fairly new and repeated practice. Investors often have strong and varying opinions on how to value projects in the emerging asset class. The assets are constantly under experimentation and development, making a fixed model methodology challenging. Traditional market indicators such as market capitalization and supply are often flawed or manipulated. The fundamental side offers even less clarity as debates about scale, decentralization, PoW and PoS, governance structures, privacy and security ensue.
There is no consensus on how to properly evaluate and value a crypto asset.
However, there is one statement that can be agreed upon: evaluating cryptoassets requires a deeper look under the hood. The obvious price, rank, market cap and trading volume metrics do not paint a complete or accurate picture. Most crypto-assets are developed on public blockchains with transparent network activity. This results in a wealth of information available to collect, dissect and process. The data can be examined to gather valuable information such as network size, health and security.
Metrics such as transaction volume on the chain, average fees on the network, hashrates, active addresses, inflation, block size and block problems provide an insight into what is happening on the blockchain. Furthermore, block explorers provide even more essential data of top token holders, transfer activity, pending transactions and exchange list volume. It’s an overwhelming amount of information to find, nonetheless consume, as there are more than 1500+ cryptoassets currently deployed (3 of which are probably legit).
Fortunately, there are some spectacular, free resources available for students, engineers, traders and analysts. Below are some bookable data and visualization resources for those looking to dig deeper into a crypto asset.
The resources are grouped into the following categories: market data, blockchain data, ICO and token data, and some fun data visualizations.
Market data
1. OnchainFX (www.onchainfx.com): The favorite among the crypto asset ranking sources. Within 6 months of launch, OnchainFX partnered with Bloomberg and Galaxy Digital Capital Management to provide their data on a new crypto asset index. Unlike other crypto asset ranking sites, OnchainFX offers an extensive amount of data points that can be added to the default view. Furthermore, coins are categorized and tagged by market cap size, sector, indices, daily movements, potential scams and more. Visitors also have the ability to “publish view” and share it via a simple URL.
A customized view including the basic data + Y2050 market cap, Y2050 supply, ATH, % off ATH from OnchainFX
2. Bitcoinity (data.bitcoinity.org): Bitcoinity offers exchange and market data displayed in graph view with the ability to export to CSV/XLSX. Data points include Bitcoin trading volume, exchange rankings, exchanges per minute, bid/ask spreads, and some blockchain data including hashrate, mining difficulty, and number of transactions. Bitcoinity does not offer an enormous set of data points, but the data visualization is effective and elegant.
Bitcoin trading volume by exchange on Bitcoinity
3. CoinMarketCap (www.coinmarketcap.com): For a high level view and ranking of cryptoassets. CoinMarketCap is the default choice among retail investors looking for a quick look at a high level of cryptoasset rankings and market data. It receives so much traffic that it can move markets.
The CoinMarketCap landing page
4. Coin360 (www.coin360.io): Coin360, formerly CryptoMaps, is a simple price activity heat map. The size of the blocks can be set to market capitalization or volume and the performance periods can be adjusted to the visitors’ choice.
A price activity display of tokens and coins from Coin360
5. Sifr Data (www.sifrdata.com): Visualizing cryptoasset correlation data can be useful to observe how cryptoassets move in relation to each other. Sifr Data provides maps, visuals and simulations on some of the larger assets.
Track cryptoasset price correlation movements on Sifr Data
Additional resources: Coingecko, Nomics
Blockchain Data
1. Coinmetrics (www.coinmetrics.io): The team at coinmetrics has developed a phenomenal resource for data enthusiasts. Data points include price, market cap, trading volume, N/A, volatility on returns and ROI. The on-chain data points are even more extensive with transaction count, on-chain transaction volume, average fees, active addresses, difficulty and more. Visitors have the option to download the entire dataset or view it on the customizable map tool. Traders and analysts can use the advanced charting tool to track standard or custom indicators. Coin benchmarks are one of my best resources for observing cryptoasset network and market activity. The real fun begins when these cryptoassets start to disconnect from each other.
Chart of the on-chain fees (USD) for BCH, LTC, ZEC, XMR on Coin Metrics
2. Bitcoin Visuals (www.bitcoinvisuals.com): Similar to Coin Metrics, a clean site with charts and data. The charts include Bitcoin height, hash rate, inputs/day, outputs/day, mining difficulty, and more. Lightning network data is also available from nodes, channels, capacity and clustering.
The dashboard view displays tx outputs, median fee, mempool, blockspeed, hash rate and more on Bitcoin Visuals
3. Bloxy (www.bloxy.info): Bloxy is a great resource for token data on the Ethereum blockchain. Data can be sorted by ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-223, ERC-827 tokens. Specific tokens on the Ethereum blockchain can be examined with data points including number of transfers, unique sender/receivers, and volume. The token dynamics page provides visibility on top tokens, top tokens by number of transfers, statistics by different token types, and more. The sections for ICO analysis and trends and analytical reports offer clean data charts and visualizations.
Ethereum token data from Bloxy
4. Blockchair (www.blockchair.com): Blockchair aims to be a blockchain-powered search engine for Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum. Example search queries include “The largest BTC block,” “The largest BCH blocks,” and “$1 million BCH transactions.” Blockchair is a unique and fun way to play with blockchain data.
The blockchair search engine powered by blockchain data
5. Bitinfocharts (www.bitinfocharts.com): Bitinfocharts provides data and charts for a number of coins and tokens, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Zcash and Monero. The comparison chart tool can be used to compare blockchain hash rates, transactions, fees, active addresses and more. Market and correlation data are also available.
Market cap, transaction, active addresses and other data pie charts from Bitinfocharts
6. Etherscan (www.etherscan.io): Etherscan is an excellent block explorer and data hub for all things Ethereum. The token tracker can be used to view all ERC 20 tokens sorted by volume and market cap. Token transfers, holders, exchanges and contracts can all be viewed from this tracker. The graphs and statistics section has a variety of charted data from address growth, supply growth, hashrate growth and pending transaction pool. Individual decentralized redirect data is also available in the DEX tracker.
EOS token holder information displays the top token holders in the network. From Etherscan.
7. Blockchain.info (www.blockchain.info): Blockchain.info is a Bitcoin block explorer that provides block, mining, network and wallet activity statistics. The statistics dashboard provides an excellent summary of the Bitcoin blockchain in table and graph format. The block explorer can be used to see wallet activity and movement.
The statistics page on Blockchain.info includes average block size, transactions per day, mempool size and more.
7. Johoe’s Bitcoin Mempool Statistics (www.jochen-hoenicke.de): Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin mempool statistics and charts. Graphs include unconfirmed transaction count, pending transaction fees and mempool size.
Unconfirmed transaction count from Johoe’s Bitcoin Mempool
Additional Resources: Amberdata, Blockspur, DappRadar, Blockpath, CryptoID Blockchain Explorers, Blockseer, 0x tracker, Transactionfee.info, Trivial, Coin Dance
ICO and Token Data
1. Coindesk ICO Tracker (www.coindesk.com/ico-tracker): Coindesk offers an ICO tracker with data including all-time cumulative ICO funding, monthly new ICO funding, size vs. number of ICOs, and annual funding totals.
The Coindesk ICO Tracker. A tool to visualize annual and monthly ICO data.
2. TokenData (www.tokendata.io): Tokendata can be used as a resource to quickly look up a token, its ICO status, USD raised, sale price, current price and yield.
ICOs sorted by highest return on Token Data
3. Messari (www.messari.io): TwoBitIdiot and the team at Messari are working on a project that aims to bring transparency to the token world. Messari is a work in progress, but I’m a fan of what I’m seeing so far. Drawing profiles in the Messari open source library provide clean and concise summaries.
The Messari open source library
Additional Resources: Elementus Token Sale History, Token Bubbles
Data visualization
1. TX Highway Cash (www.txhighway.cash): A smart blockchain visualization with live Bitcoin and Bitcoin cash transactions in an animated highway. Vehicle size and speed correlate with block size and transaction speed. Lightning network deals are also included.
A Live Highway Visualization Showing Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash Transactions from Tx Highway.
2. Coinlib (www.coinlib.io): Coinlib provides market, exchange and some blockchain data in clean tabular and graphical visuals. The global charts section offers a 24-hour fiat and crypto flow visualization.
A visualization of cryptocurrency flows in the last 24 hours from Coinlib
3. Satoshis Place (www.satoshis.place): Satoshi’s Place is a collaborative canvas powered by the lightning network. 1 million pixels are available for purchase to paint at a price of 1 satoshi per pixel. The micropayments are sent through the lightning network.
2.3 million pixels were bought and signed at Satoshis Place today
4. Bitnodes (bitnodes.earn.com): A live map of reachable Bitcoin nodes is available on Bitnodes. Be sure to visit the 3D network map.
A live map of reachable Bitcoin nodes from Bitnodes
5. Bitforce5 (www.bitforce5.com): Bitforce5 has a live, animated visualization of up to 300 linked transactions and addresses. The data comes from Blockchain.info and can be viewed by double-clicking on the icons.
Live Bitcoin Activity from Bitforce5
Additional visualizations: Visual Blockchain, Real time Bitcoin Globe, Poketoshi
Did I miss something? Ping me on twitter @blockchainjoy
Disclaimer for Uncirculars, with a Touch of Personality:
While we love diving into the exciting world of crypto here at Uncirculars, remember that this post, and all our content, is purely for your information and exploration. Think of it as your crypto compass, pointing you in the right direction to do your own research and make informed decisions.
No legal, tax, investment, or financial advice should be inferred from these pixels. We’re not fortune tellers or stockbrokers, just passionate crypto enthusiasts sharing our knowledge.
And just like that rollercoaster ride in your favorite DeFi protocol, past performance isn’t a guarantee of future thrills. The value of crypto assets can be as unpredictable as a moon landing, so buckle up and do your due diligence before taking the plunge.
Ultimately, any crypto adventure you embark on is yours alone. We’re just happy to be your crypto companion, cheering you on from the sidelines (and maybe sharing some snacks along the way). So research, explore, and remember, with a little knowledge and a lot of curiosity, you can navigate the crypto cosmos like a pro!
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