Andrew Li

Sishir Yarlagadda checks his portfolio and finds out that Ethereum is at $1,054. Yarlagadda and his fellow investors predicted that Ethereum still has more room to rise. “The highest Ethereum has ever been was at $1,400,” Yarlagadda said. “It dropped $300 recently due to speculation that South Korea will regulate cryptocurrencies, but there is still so much untapped potential this coin still has.”

Recently, many cryptocurrencies’ prices skyrocketed, especially one popular cryptocurrency called Ethereum, which grew about 115 times since the last year. There are many reasons as to why the massive surge happened, but why spend time figuring out the reasons when you can capitalize on it? Junior Sishir Yarlagadda does exactly that and has been investing in Ethereum since November.

“My biggest mistake was not investing early on. I heard of the crypto market for about seven months but started three months ago,” Yarlagadda said. “I was told it was an extremely risky investment since the commodity is so volatile and it had a huge bubble. But I realized nothing would get done if I am hesitant, so I began to invest and began my journey.”

Although Yarlagadda had first heard of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, he invested in Ethereum, its rival, because of Ethereum’s cheaper price and their new technology.

“I first heard about Bitcoin because of all the hype. However, the big underdog was Ethereum,” Yarlagadda said. “It was risky business because I was too used to stocks and never wanted to take the risk cryptos provided. But, I decided to invest in Ethereum anyways.”

Yarlagadda began his investment journey by buying stock in a few popular cryptos, specifically Ethereum. However, he was not experienced with cryptocurrencies in the beginning, so he spent time researching and studying the trends and resistances of the currencies from experts like blogger and crypto enthusiast Kenny Li.

“[Kenny] is really knowledgeable about cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin. I am not invested in it, but his advice is really applicable to Ethereum,” Yarlagadda said. “He said to take advantage of double jumps which happens when a crypto crashes a little bit and skyrockets right after. If you time it well, instead of making 10 percent, you can make 20 percent in a short amount of time.”

Yarlagadda informs himself by using a program called Blockfolio, where he keeps track of his crypto portfolio.

“An important part of investing is to keep track of your cash flow. When did you invest? How much did you make? What is your revenue?” Yarlagadda said. “These are important questions that Blockfolio helps to answer.”

In addition to using helpful resources to maximize his profit, Yarlagadda also stays updated on news about Ethereum.

“I keep track on Ethereum just by reading news on Apple News or anywhere online. I type ‘Ethereum predictions’ or ‘Ethereum news’ into Google and it helps to keep me updated on how the coin is going,” Yarlagadda said. “Be informed on what you invest. Don’t just go in blindly. That’s what an idiot does.”

The program that Yarlagadda trades on, Coinbase, is really helpful in the data analysis as well.

“At first, the cryptocurrency market can be a bit intimidating with its volatility,” Yarlagadda said. “But after a while, I got used to it. In fact, I even learned some tricks on how to analyze better. If you are going to use Coinbase, definitely use the candlestick graph. It’s much better.”

Another tip Yarlagadda wants everyone to know is how volatile Ethereum can be.

“Ethereum is a cryptocurrency. Not a stock, not a commodity. It is a crypto. If you are going to invest, get that in your head,” Yarlagadda said. “Don’t check the price every minute or hour. If you keep looking at it, you will experience a rollercoaster of emotions. Understand whether your investment is long-term or short-term, but I highly recommend going for the long haul.”

Yarlagadda wishes that the school informed its students more about investments, and he would love to create a large community of investors to discuss on potential investments.

“Personal Finance doesn’t talk about investing enough. It would be awesome if we could create a chat or an open group where investors can just speak about their opinions on some investments,” Yarlagadda said. “It won’t just benefit me but it’ll help all members. If anyone is interested in making this happen or just discussing on investments, let me know.”

Yarlagadda also mentions about how much time it takes and how many emotions he has experienced. But no matter what feeling he has felt through his journey of investing, he is ultimately glad about taking advantage of the opportunity.

“There have been times where I wish I sold at a point. There have been times where I wish I bought at a point,” Yarlagadda said. “But at the end of the day, at least I took advantage and invested in something big.”