迷因币风靡一时，但专家建议避免使用

随着 GameStop 等模因股票本月暂时飙升，模因币似乎也迎来了一段时期。

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

随着 GameStop (GME) 等模因股票本月暂时飙升，模因币似乎也迎来了一段时期。

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.

根据 CoinMarketCap 的数据，狗狗币 (DOGE) 是一种以“doge”柴犬模因命名的流行数字代币，其价格在过去一个月上涨了约 14%。据 CoinMarketCap 报道，以“佩佩青蛙”模因命名的模因币 Pepe 的价格自 4 月 29 日以来已飙升超过 100%。

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

但在考虑投资加密货币之前，了解模因币、山寨币和比特币之间的区别很重要。

Bitcoin

比特币

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.

根据 CoinMarketCap 的数据，比特币是最初的加密货币，也是市值最大的加密货币，超过 1.3 万亿美元。它是由中本聪（Satoshi Nakamoto）创建的，中本聪是一个身份仍然是个谜的人或一群人。中本聪将比特币设想为虚拟现金的替代版本，它不依赖政府或银行等金融机构来运作和促进支付。

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.

与许多加密货币一样，比特币由区块链技术提供支持，该技术作为数字化、去中心化的分类账，跟踪网络内进行的交易。

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.

比特币的内置限量供应为 2100 万枚。这意味着在开采 2100 万枚比特币后，将不会再发行新的比特币。稀缺是故意的；供应限制确保比特币仍然是一种稀缺资产，因此从理论上讲，随着需求增加而供应保持不变，比特币的价值也会增加。

Altcoins

山寨币

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.

山寨币，也称为替代硬币，是指除比特币之外的任何加密货币。尽管其中一些数字代币的运作方式可能与比特币类似，但它们是建立在不同的区块链网络上的。

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.

有数千种山寨币，它们通常是为了特定目的而创建的。以稳定币为例。稳定币是一种山寨币，它将其价值与另一种资产（例如黄金或美元）挂钩，目的是稳定其价格。

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.

除了稳定币之外，许多山寨币的价值源自市场需求和交易者的偏好。然而，Bankrate 的首席投资和财富管理分析师 James Royal 表示，这可能使他们特别容易受到快速且意外的价格变化的影响。

"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，你将只剩下毫无价值的数字资产和一个好故事，”他告诉 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，由于有如此多的山寨币可用，因此警惕潜在的骗局非常重要。最常见的加密货币投资诈骗类型之一是鼓励您购买大量给定的代币，然后将其转移到诈骗者的钱包中。

"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.

美国联邦贸易委员会在其网站上表示：“在投资加密货币之前，请在线搜索公司或个人的名称以及加密货币名称，以及‘评论’、‘诈骗’或‘投诉’等词语。”

Meme coins

模因币

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.

在山寨币的保护下是模因币。这些虚拟代币通常是为了好玩而创建的，并以互联网模因或流行文化参考文献命名。尽管每个模因币都是山寨币，但每个山寨币不一定都是模因币。

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

罗亚尔表示，尽管所有加密货币都存在风险，但模因币对于交易者来说尤其危险。

"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."

“模因币是风险最高的加密货币之一，因为它们似乎凭空出现，而且有关它们的信息可能很少，”他说。 “随着公众情绪的变化，它们预计会飙升和暴跌。模因币可能今天吸引了公众的注意力，明天就会消失。”

Cryptocurrency remains volatile and risky

加密货币仍然不稳定且存在风险

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.

除了稳定币之外，大多数加密货币都不受黄金、其他商品或法定货币等基础资产的支持。许多加密货币的价值仅取决于下一个交易者愿意支付的价格，这就是为什么它们被认为具有高度波动性并受到不可预测的价格波动的影响。

"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."

“虽然比特币和以太坊等成熟的加密货币现在可能会受到交易者的青睐，但它们最终仍然仅受情绪驱动，”罗亚尔说。 “如果交易者认为这些代币不再有价值，那么就没有像股票那样的基本业务来支撑这些代币的价格。”

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.

最终，罗亚尔表示“完全避免使用加密货币”。但他说，如果你有兴趣在加密货币市场“碰碰运气”，可以尝试一下比特币交易所交易基金。

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 是一种投资基金，旨在模仿和跟踪一项资产或一篮子资产的价格变动。您可以通过经纪账户购买比特币 ETF，而不是自己在加密货币交易所或比特币区块链网络上购买和存储比特币。

"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

“年费是合理的，在大多数情况下比自己实际购买加密货币更便宜，而且你购买的是机构投资者感兴趣的代币，因此需求可能会保持强劲，”罗亚尔说。 “你也会避开安检