Make believe money that is terrible for the environment due to the sheer computational power it takes to generate hash. The fact so many people speculate on this made up money (and I mean that literally, you can download the source code and create your own "coin" in an afternoon) just proves how much money is in circulation, and how little intrinsic worth it should have.
I think the FBI recovering the bitcoin from the pipeline shut down ransomware pierced alot of people's belief bubble that Crypto is beyond the reach of the government. The FBI recovered almost all of the bitcoin in a VERY short amount of time. The thought your bitcoin is safe from confiscation... meh, not really apparently.
But... real world scenario: The best tradable asset right now is Primers. You wouldn't believe how many trades I've done with folk since the start of this year based on primers as the basis for trade. Powders, easy to find. Other components, usually easy to find if patient... but if you have primers, you could trade them for gold.
I firmly believe the US Government will release a official crypto currency "fed-coin", and they will tax every transaction you make with it (no more cash payments for services or items), you will have to route it through their own app / exchange. What's odd is this new generation of kids who WANT to believe in the worth of cryptos, that its "cooler" than physical metals or other things of value. Its strange to me.
I carry a 1941 Walking Liberty in my pocket always. I love the look, I like that it reminds me of Pearl Harbor and the start of the WWII. And silver is cool.
-DallanC