Better Buy Right Now: Bitcoin vs. Shiba Inu
Key Points
Besides having a scarce supply and predictable inflation rate, Bitcoin has seen notable institutional involvement.
Shiba Inu has had periods of explosive growth in the past, which draws investors seeking quick gains.
Bitcoin's staying power is a key reason why it's the better cryptocurrency to buy.
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In the world of finance, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) needs no introduction. What started out being viewed as funny internet money has since matured into a major financial asset. This is demonstrated by its sizable market capitalization of $1.7 trillion.
Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) launched with the goal of being more functional than Dogecoin. It's been around since August 2020. And there are strong supporters who believe in its potential, even though it has been viewed primarily as a tool for speculation.
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Between these two popular cryptocurrencies, which is the better buy right now?
Image source: Getty Images.
The Bitcoin bull case hasn't changed
Bitcoin is a compelling long-term investment candidate because of its fixed supply, which underscores its bull case. There will only ever be 21 million units. This hard cap hasn't been altered in the past. And it likely won't be in the future, unless key stakeholder groups want to undermine the entire network's value proposition.
Its inflation rate gets cut in half roughly every four years. The predictable scarcity is notable. No single entity controls Bitcoin. This operates in stark contrast to the fiat monetary system characterized by a constantly debased currency supply.
Institutional involvement is another part of the bull case. This all started in early 2024 when the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were approved, a milestone that essentially legitimized Bitcoin as a global financial asset and portfolio holding. These ETFs were wildly successful at launch. And today, the iShares Bitcoin Trust, which is the largest such ETF, has $66 billion in assets.
Even countries are allocating to Bitcoin. According to research from River Financial, the Czech National Bank last year became the first central bank to purchase Bitcoin for its reserve.
In the cryptocurrency market, staying power is an underrated trait. And Bitcoin shines in this area. It's almost 20 years old. But it's never been hacked. It has successfully navigated country-level bans, exchange failures, and massive drawdowns. This increases the chances it will be around far into the future.
Shiba Inu could provide explosive growth
When it comes to Shiba Inu, the most obvious reason anyone would want to dabble in the meme token is that it offers explosive growth potential. The digital asset started 2021 at around $0.0000000001684. It ended that year at $0.00003342. While the cryptocurrency trades a stomach-churning 94% below that peak right now (as of Oct. 12), supporters hope another monster rally is in the cards.
There is a real ecosystem surrounding Shiba Inu. Shibarium is a Layer-2 blockchain, meant to speed up transactions and lower costs. ShibaSwap is a decentralized exchange. Developers also launched a metaverse in early 2025. This at least lays the foundation for greater utility. And it could help Shiba Inu evolve from being categorized as just a meme coin.
Coins are being burned, which is meant to shrink the outstanding token supply. In the last 30 days, 714 million tokens were burned. Because there are currently 589 trillion tokens, it will take an extremely long time for the current pace to have a meaningful impact. This at least shows, however, that the community is aware of how unfavorable the supply count is.
There's no need to take on excessive risk
In the past three years, Bitcoin's price has climbed 212%. At the same time, Shiba Inu has tanked 23%. I think these recent performance trends indicate what investors should choose to do with their capital: Stick to the proven winner. Moreover, avoid taking on excessive risk in the hopes of capturing a quick profit. This isn't true investing.
Bitcoin has an astronomically higher probability of being functional and relevant a decade from now compared to Shiba Inu. The meme token has steadily fallen out of favor. And it's very hard to believe that this negative trajectory is going to reverse course in a sustainable fashion.
Bitcoin is the better buy.
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Neil Patel has positions in iShares Bitcoin Trust. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and iShares Bitcoin Trust. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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