迷因幣風靡一時，但專家建議避免使用

隨著 GameStop 等迷因股票本月暫時飆升，迷因幣似乎也迎來了一段時期。

As meme stocks like GameStop (GME) temporarily surged this month, it appears meme coins are having a moment as well.

隨著 GameStop (GME) 等迷因股票本月暫時飆升，迷因幣似乎也迎來了一段時期。

The price of Dogecoin (DOGE), a popular digital token branded after the "doge" shiba inu meme, has increased by around 14% over the past month, according to CoinMarketCap. And the price of Pepe, a meme coin named after the "Pepe the frog" meme, has soared by over 100% since April 29, per CoinMarketCap.

根據 CoinMarketCap 的數據，狗狗幣 (DOGE) 是一種以「doge」柴犬迷因命名的熱門數位代幣，其價格在過去一個月上漲了約 14%。根據 CoinMarketCap 報道，以「佩佩青蛙」迷因命名的迷因幣 Pepe 的價格自 4 月 29 日以來已飆升超過 100%。

But before you consider investing in cryptocurrency, it's important to understand the difference between meme coins, altcoins and bitcoin.

但在考慮投資加密貨幣之前，了解迷因幣、山寨幣和比特幣之間的差異很重要。

Bitcoin

比特幣

Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency and the largest by market capitalization at over $1.3 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap. It was created by Satoshi Nakamoto, a person or group of people whose identity remains a mystery. Nakamoto envisioned bitcoin as an alternative version of virtual cash that wouldn't rely on a government or financial institution, such as a bank, to function and facilitate payments.

根據 CoinMarketCap 的數據，比特幣是最初的加密貨幣，也是市值最大的加密貨幣，超過 1.3 兆美元。它是由中本聰（Satoshi Nakamoto）創建的，中本聰是一個身份仍然是個謎的人或一群人。中本聰將比特幣設想為虛擬現金的替代版本，它不依賴政府或銀行等金融機構來運作和促進支付。

Like many cryptocurrencies, bitcoin is powered by blockchain technology, which works as a digital, decentralized ledger that keeps track of transactions made within the network.

與許多加密貨幣一樣，比特幣由區塊鏈技術提供支持，該技術作為數位化、去中心化的分類賬，追蹤網路內進行的交易。

Bitcoin also has a built-in limited supply of 21 million coins. This means no new bitcoins will be issued after 21 million coins have been mined. The scarcity is on purpose; the supply limit ensures that bitcoin remains a scarce asset so that, theoretically, as demand increases and supply remains the same, bitcoin's value increases as well.

比特幣的內建限量供應為 2,100 萬枚。這意味著在開採 2,100 萬枚比特幣後，將不會再發行新的比特幣。稀缺是故意的；供應限制確保比特幣仍然是一種稀缺資產，因此從理論上講，隨著需求增加而供應保持不變，比特幣的價值也會增加。

Altcoins

山寨幣

Altcoins, also known as alternative coins, refers to any cryptocurrency that's not bitcoin. Although some of these digital tokens may operate similarly to bitcoin, they are built on different blockchain networks.

山寨幣，也稱為替代硬幣，是指除比特幣之外的任何加密貨幣。儘管其中一些數位代幣的運作方式可能與比特幣類似，但它們是建立在不同的區塊鏈網路上的。

There are thousands of altcoins, which are typically created with a specific purpose in mind. Take stablecoins, for example. A stablecoin is a type of altcoin that pegs its value to another asset, such as gold or the U.S. dollar, with the goal of stabilizing its price.

有數千種山寨幣，它們通常是為了特定目的而創建的。以穩定幣為例。穩定幣是一種山寨幣，它將其價值與另一種資產（例如黃金或美元）掛鉤，目的是穩定其價格。

Outside of stablecoins, many altcoins derive their value from market demand and traders' preferences. However, that can make them particularly vulnerable to rapid and unexpected changes in price, says James Royal, Bankrate's principal investing and wealth management analyst.

除了穩定幣之外，許多山寨幣的價值源自於市場需求和交易者的偏好。然而，Bankrate 的首席投資和財富管理分析師 James Royal 表示，這可能使他們特別容易受到快速且意外的價格變化的影響。

"If demand dries up, you'll be left with only worthless digital assets and a good story," he tells CNBC Make It.

「如果需求枯竭，你將只剩下毫無價值的數位資產和一個好故事，」他告訴 CNBC Make It。

Additionally, with so many altcoins available, it's important to be on the lookout for potential scams. One of the most common types of crypto investment scams encourages you to purchase a large amount of a given coin, then transfer it to the scammer's wallet.

此外，由於有如此多的山寨幣可用，因此警惕潛在的騙局非常重要。最常見的加密貨幣投資詐騙類型之一是鼓勵您購買大量給定的代幣，然後將其轉移到詐騙者的錢包中。

"Before you invest in crypto, search online for the name of the company or person and the cryptocurrency name, plus words like 'review,' 'scam,' or 'complaint,'" the Federal Trade Commission says on its website.

美國聯邦貿易委員會在其網站上表示：“在投資加密貨幣之前，請在線搜索公司或個人的名稱以及加密貨幣名稱，以及‘評論’、‘詐騙’或‘投訴’等詞語。”

Meme coins

模因幣

Under the umbrella of altcoins are meme coins. These virtual tokens are usually created for fun and named after internet memes or pop culture references. And although every meme coin is an altcoin, every altcoin isn't necessarily a meme coin.

在山寨幣的保護下是迷因幣。這些虛擬代幣通常是為了好玩而創建的，並以網路迷因或流行文化參考文獻命名。儘管每個迷因幣都是山寨幣，但每個山寨幣不一定都是迷因幣。

Although all cryptocurrency carries risk, meme coins can be especially treacherous for traders, Royal says.

羅亞爾表示，儘管所有加密貨幣都存在風險，但迷因幣對交易者來說尤其危險。

"Meme coins are among the riskiest of cryptocurrencies because they seem to emerge from nowhere and information about them can be sparse," he says. "They're expected to soar and plummet as the public sentiment shifts this way and that. Meme coins may capture the public's fancy today and be gone tomorrow."

「迷因幣是風險最高的加密貨幣之一，因為它們似乎憑空出現，而且有關它們的資訊可能很少，」他說。 “隨著公眾情緒的變化，它們預計會飆升和暴跌。模因幣可能今天吸引了公眾的注意力，明天就會消失。”

Cryptocurrency remains volatile and risky

加密貨幣仍然不穩定且有風險

Aside from stablecoins, most cryptocurrencies aren't supported by an underlying asset such as gold, other commodities or fiat currencies. Many crypto coins are only worth what the next trader is willing to pay for them, which is why they're considered highly volatile and subject to unpredictable price swings.

除了穩定幣之外，大多數加密貨幣都不受黃金、其他商品或法定貨幣等基礎資產的支持。許多加密貨幣的價值僅取決於下一個交易者願意支付的價格，這就是為什麼它們被認為具有高度波動性並受到不可預測的價格波動的影響。

"While well-established cryptos such as bitcoin and ethereum may have traders' sentiment in their favor now, they're still ultimately driven only by sentiment," Royal says. "If traders decide that those coins are no longer worthwhile, there's no fundamental business there to support the coins' price, as there is with stocks."

「雖然比特幣和以太坊等成熟的加密貨幣現在可能會受到交易者的青睞，但它們最終仍然僅受情緒驅動，」羅亞爾說。 “如果交易者認為這些代幣不再有價值，那麼就沒有像股票那樣的基本業務來支撐這些代幣的價格。”

Ultimately, Royal says to "avoid cryptocurrency entirely." But if you're interested in "trying your luck" in the crypto market, try a bitcoin exchange-traded fund, he says.

最終，羅亞爾表示「完全避免使用加密貨幣」。但他說，如果你有興趣在加密貨幣市場“碰碰運氣”，可以嘗試比特幣交易所交易基金。

An ETF is a type of investment fund that aims to mimic and track the price movement of an asset or basket of assets. You would buy a bitcoin ETF via your brokerage account instead of purchasing and storing bitcoin yourself on a crypto exchange or bitcoin's blockchain network.

ETF 是一種投資基金，旨在模仿和追蹤一項資產或一籃子資產的價格變動。您可以透過經紀帳戶購買比特幣 ETF，而不是自己在加密貨幣交易所或比特幣區塊鏈網路上購買和儲存比特幣。

"The annual fees are reasonable, cheaper in most cases than actually buying the crypto yourself, and you're buying a coin that has the interest of institutional investors, so demand may remain robust," Royal says. "You'll also avoid the security

「年費是合理的，在大多數情況下比自己實際購買加密貨幣更便宜，而且你購買的是機構投資者感興趣的代幣，因此需求可能會保持強勁，」羅亞爾說。 「你也會避開安檢