Main Risk Factors of an Ethereum ETN
Despite all the hype, digital assets are a highly risky investment. Below are key risk factors that need to be considered before making an investment in an Ethereum ETN.
The note provides exposure to the leading digital asset, Ethereum. Due to this concentrated exposure to a limited number of digital assets, prospective investors should be aware that there are risks deriving from such concentration, the most significant of which is the impact on the liquidity and the volatility of the notes. This is one of the factors to take into account when considering an investment in an Ethereum ETN.
The issuer intends to invest in a single digital asset. Because the class of digital asset investments is growing at a rapid pace, all risks relating to the underlying technology may not be known. As new digital assets develop and attract interest from the development community and investors, they may also become greater targets for exploitation. That is another factor to consider before investing in an Ethereum ETN.
Digital assets are a new technological innovation with a limited history. There is no assurance that usage of digital assets will continue to grow. A contraction in use of digital assets may result in increased volatility or a reduction in the price of such digital assets, which could adversely impact the value of the notes. For example, Bitcoin, one of the earliest digital assets, was invented in 2009. Digital assets and their respective trading histories have therefore existed for a relatively short time, which limits a potential investor’s ability to evaluate an investment in the notes. That is one of the risk factors to take into account before making an investment in an Ethereum ETN.
Speculators and investors who seek to profit from trading and holding digital assets generate a significant portion of the demand for such digital assets. Speculation regarding future appreciation in the value of digital assets may inflate and make more volatile the price of such digital assets. As a result, digital assets may be more likely to fluctuate in value due to changing investor confidence in future appreciation in the price of digital assets. That is another factor to take into consideration when making an investment in an Ethereum ETN.
Regulators and governments in various jurisdictions have focused on regulation of digital assets. Digital asset market disruptions and resulting governmental interventions are unpredictable, and may make digital assets or certain digital assets illegal altogether. Future regulations and directives in some jurisdictions may conflict with those others, and such regulatory actions may restrict or make some or all digital assets illegal in some jurisdictions. Future regulations and directives may impact the demand for digital assets, and may also affect the ability of digital assets exchanges to operate and for other market participants to enter into digital assets transactions. This is a further risk factor to take into account before investing in an Ethereum ETN.