Bitcoin alternatives get investors' interest

(The Boston Globe, November 25, 2013)

With mounting interest from prominent investors and growing acceptance from regulators, bitcoin — either the new gold or the next Dutch tulip craze, depending on whom is being asked — is at the center of the virtual money universe. Yet there are dozens of digital alternatives, including PeerCoin, Litecoin, and anoncoin, whose backers point to advantages they say their currency has over bitcoin. However, if this is a contest, bitcoin is still light-years ahead of any of its competitors — known as altcoins — when it comes to value. What’s more, most altcoins share the biggest weakness of bitcoin: a violently fluctuating value.