Stocks and shares vs crypto! Bitcoin’s appeal in the market crash

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, the economic outlook worsens and frantic stock selling has ensued, with some investors looking for safe-haven alternatives.

Does this mean Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are becoming desirable commodities?

I think not. I’ve seen the Bitcoin rampers and scammers out in full force in recent days, enticing prospects with their claims that “Bitcoin doesn’t spread deadly viruses, it spreads freedom! It doesn’t need to be disinfected and quarantined; it’s anonymous; it’s secure, Bitcoin will never rely on a bailout; it’s a truly global currency for all”. Bad taste as well as misleading!

Let’s be clear, Bitcoin mining is finite, it’s not environmentally-friendly, its transaction costs are prohibitively expensive and they’re not instant. It’s also ridiculously volatile.

I don’t object to cryptocurrencies as part of a larger pool of diversified investments, but I don’t think Bitcoin is the answer during a stock market crash. If anything, now is the perfect time to pick up stock market bargains for long-term wealth generation.

Recovery is inevitable

Yes, financial markets are in free-fall and the dents in shareholders’ portfolios make us nervous. But equities are based on real-life, tangible businesses. This means they’re worth something. Many of these companies have had their paper value pulled down a notch or two, but most of them can and will recover. 

We still don’t know enough about coronavirus to predict how long the downturn will last. This means I’d be reluctant to start buying stocks just yet, for fear of generating instant losses.

Equally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to sell shares right now unless you’ve already made gains and feel confident to do so. And current ‘losses’ are only on paper until you actually sell. Most of these companies will ride out the storm, and their share prices will come back with a vengeance. 

Patience is a virtue

For long-term investors, patience, discipline and confidence are key to long-term security. The world’s most successful investors ride out market fluctuations and use the downtime to research companies and find those that can go the distance. I myself like companies with a strong track record and a decent dividend yield.

But with very few companies operating from an exclusively domestic supply chain, I think the coronavirus will affect most FTSE 350 businesses to some extent. How quickly they recover and get back to business-as-usual will determine how swiftly their share prices rebound.

Down but not out

One British stalwart I like is BT Group (LSE:BT-A), because although it has high debt and the increasing likelihood of a dividend cut, it’s got a lot going for it, I feel. That may surprise some of you. But BT’s current dividend yield is almost 11%, so even a cut will leave a desirable return. Its price-to-earnings ratio is 6 and earnings per share are 22p.

The FTSE 250 firm is also highly involved in cybersecurity solutions and in our progressively vulnerable world, this is a good business to be in.

A recent BT announcement that grabbed my attention was its decision to allow customers to pay for its prime TV offerings on a monthly basis, rather than a contracted package. I imagine this will be popular with Premier League football fans.

All-in-all there’s a lot to like about BT and I think its share price will recover.