Czynniki determinujace zmiany na rynku kryptowalut[The factors determining the changes in the cryptocurrencies market]

Motivation: Currently, on the cryptocurrencies market, relevant changes are taking place; they are reflected in the fluctuations of the capitalizations of both whole cryptocurrencies market and certain cryptocurrencies. The source literature regarding those changes is missing the descriptions which would focus on the reasons behind these phenomena. Uncovering of that vague issue can bring numerous benefits, which was the main motivation for the choice of the topic. Aim: The article aims to specify the both of factors, the ones having beneficial, and the ones having adverse influence at the value of the capitalization of the cryptocurrencies market, i.e. the market correction that took place at the end of May 2017, the bull market, which was recorded in the second half of November 2017 and the crisis from the middle January 2018. Materials and methods: In order to define the dynamics of the market changes, the comparison of the capitalization of all the cryptocurrencies, as well as the whole market, has been made. The data regarding both above-mentioned capitalizations was obtained from the CoinMarketCap portal. In the analysis three cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple), with the highest capitalization are taken into account since the fluctuations of their values have the most considerable impact on the changes in capitalization of the whole market. The situations analyzed took place in the time period between 20 April 2017 and 20 April 2018. Such a time period was chosen due to various factors involving the cryptocurrencies: the increase of the popularity, reaching wider public via mass media, and the intensification of the government’s actions aiming at the implementation of new law regulations. Results: The cryptocurrencies market, thanks to its independence from any national economy, is not influenced by the situation on the stock markets of certain countries. Among the main reasons behind the changes there are: law regulations, tax restrictions, cryptocurrencies payment acceptance, experts’ opinions, the intensity of the mass media information, and the individual decisions of major investors.