xyzzy099
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March 12, 2015, 08:41:57 PM

Again, my original point was that the future value of bitcoin is being predicated to a large extent on the 21m cap, a belief based on faith more than reality.

I think it's predicated mostly on the belief that the majority of people (miners in this case) will act rationally.  I would say that most miners consider the 21M coin cap to be a defining characteristic of Bitcoin, and probably the most important characteristic that gives the coin value.  If you accept that premise, then it is logical to assume that miners will not act irrationally by destroying the value that is their whole incentive for mining in the first place.


Good point, well made.

But raising the cap would be  an indirect consequence of adjusting the halving frequency, so by increasing the cap, you would be extending the [higher] reward period for miners

Since we havent reached the point where tx fees outweigh coin reward, do you think that might become an incentive for miners to increase the cap? (bear in mind that it would be a slow process, with no immediate dump of coins on the market.)



I think miners understand that any such change would destroy the faith that users have in the coin, as the known-in-advance maximum supply is a critical component of the valuation.  I can't imagine a scenario where increasing the limit would actually be a win for the miners.