Combining Islamic Equity Portfolios and Digital Currencies: Evidence from Portfolio Diversification

Digital currencies are unregulated and potentially have a destabilizing effect coupled with increased concerns over capital gains and losses in a high volatility environment. When added to a portfolio, this currency may have certain driving factors in terms of return and risks in the case of portfolio diversification. In this study, from the Sharia angle, we follow the position of Monzer Kahf (Fatwa on Bitcoin (by Monzer Kahf). http://lightuponlight.com/blog/fatwa-on-bitcoin-by-monzer-kahf/. Accessed 03 Feb 2020, 2017) who explained that Bitcoin is considered “Like any other currency”. It should be used under the “same conditions of exchanging currencies”. Therefore, we explore the effects of adding digital currencies to an Islamic portfolio by relying on a mean-variance efficient frontier and comparing the risk-return of portfolios with and without digital currencies for different scenarios. The results show that by adding digital currencies to Shariah-compliant portfolios, its performance improves; but this depends more or less on the increase in returns than in the reduction of total risk. Specifically, digital currencies may have a big role in bringing high risks with speculative effect in portfolio diversification. Therefore, we provide some recommendations to investors and regulators to secure these currencies in Islamic capital markets

Technical trading and cryptocurrencies

This paper carries out a comprehensive examination of technical trading rules in cryptocurrency markets, using data from two Bitcoin markets and three other popular cryptocurrencies. We employ almost 15,000 technical trading rules from the main five classes of technical trading rules and find significant predictability and profitability for each class of technical trading rule in each cryptocurrency. We find that the breakeven transaction costs are substantially higher than those typically found in cryptocurrency markets. To safeguard against data-snooping, we implement a number of multiple hypothesis procedures which confirms our findings that technical trading rules do offer significant predictive power and profitability to investors. We also show that the technical trading rules offer substantially higher risk-adjusted returns than the simple buy-and-hold strategy, showing protection against lengthy and severe drawdowns associated with cryptocurrency markets. However there is no predictability for Bitcoin in the out-of-sample period, although predictability remains in other cryptocurrency markets

Non-standard errors

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty: Non-standard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for better reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants

The interest rate behaviour of bitcoin as a digital asset

Abstract: The objective of this study is to assess interest rate behaviour of bitcoin as a dig-ital asset in relation to market rates. The implied bitcoin interest rate is quantified through the assumptions of uncovered interest parity theory, and implied bitcoin exchange rate determined from the triangular of USD/BTC, and EUR/BTC. The Vector Autoregressive model is regressed on implied bitcoin interest rate along with four maturity classes of LIBOR interest rates for US and Euro markets re-spectively. The results show that there is a uni-directional impact with bitcoin interest rate responding to shocks from market rates, while shocks emanating from bitcoin to market rates are non-existent, or not statistically significant. The findings of this study have potential value towards monetary policy and capital market investors

Are virtual currencies virtuous? Ethical and environmental issues

International audienceCryptocurrencies have gained in popularity and generated a great deal of enthusiasm in recent years with regard to the sustained increase in the number of transactions achieved by miners. On what scale can we consider the process and uses of virtual money to be ethical? What are the misuses related to their use? In this chapter, we study the ethical and environmental issues of cryptocurrencies. First, regarding the environmental issue, the major cryptocurrencies use a large amount of electricity for mining, which has a significant impact on the energy production system and global warming. Second, we discuss the new type of Dark economy that has emerged with these currencies, thanks to the anonymity of transactions. We particularly emphasize the unethical use of cryptocurrencies, namely the virtual money laundering and tax evasion, the financing of illegal activities (i.e. illicit products, terrorist financing) and cyber-attacks. Third, we develop the ethical use of virtual money and show that this kind of currency, which guarantees the protection of privacy and anonymity of transactions, can be a good solution to mitigate transaction costs and reduce poverty. They can also be beneficial in the context of debt crises and hyperinflation. Thus, cryptocurrencies per se are not evil; it is their uses that can be