Essentially, Bitcoin transactions are going to be tracked and traced by the government. So much for that anonymity that early Bitcoin adopters touted to encourage adoption, huh? Thanks to the IRS, any involvement with Bitcoins has just become so complicated I remain convinced its days are numbered.

Bitcoin’s days are numbered - literally. Ex-Federal Reserve Bank examiner, Mark T.Williams even goes so far as to predict that Bitcoin will trade for under $10 by June 30, 2014. That's a bold prediction, no doubt, but the point is clear – Bitcoin doesn’t stand a chance at ever gaining widespread adoption.

All the hype surrounding Bitcoin is a dead giveaway that you should be suspicious. Forget all the economic arguments against the currency, though. The biggest risk is a technological one. Add in the neck-snapping volatility, and you’re telling me this is the future of money? Keep dreaming! It’s little more than a wild speculation. One with a fatal flaw, at that, so please, whatever you do, refrain from converting your life savings – or any meaningful amount of money – into Bitcoins. At least until you read this article.

Bitcoin bashers and angry gold bugs have missed the bus and are missing the point. While Bitcoin may be attracting some of the investment dollars that would otherwise be flowing into gold, the two are actually quite complimentary and can co-exist nicely. This article explains why that is the case.

The dramatic rise in Bitcoin is the best reminder for all those buying and holding physical gold and silver, for whatever length of time and at whatever price, better days are assured. It is just a matter of time.

What currency is feared by the European Central Bank as a threat to fiat monetary institutions? What currency is cash-like but digitally transmittable allowing for ultimate anonymity and global mobility? What digital currency is up over 2,200% over the last year? It's Bitcoin.

Ever since the Federal Reserve embarked on its easy money campaign, everyone and their mother has been on a crusade for an alternative reserve currency. [The euro and China's yuan have been talked about - and dismissed - as realistic contenders and]...during the world's desperate search, the Federal Reserve has just continued printing more money. That has only intensified the desire for an alternative. Enter Bitcoin. Ultimately, however, it is all about greed - not a genuine interest in a fundamentally stronger alternative to the status quo - that's driving Bitcoin prices so forget Bitcoin being a contender as an alternative currency. At best, it's a speculative investment, and a very speculative one at that.

Bitcoin is the first peer-to-peer (P2P) digital currency and payment system to gain significant interest. This month its marketcap surpassed $1 billion. [Below is a description of what Bitcoin is, and isn't, and why it has caught on to the extent it has.]

It is possible that Bitcoins are starting to steal some of gold's historic role as a safe haven asset, and if that comes to pass it will be a headwind for the metal and the miners of it going forward....

What currency is feared by the European Central Bank as a threat to fiat monetary institutions? What currency is cash-like, but digitally transmittable allowing for ultimate anonymity and global mobility? What digital currency is up over 2,200% over the last year? The answer? Bitcoin.