I don't usually post here but in my opinion the current downtrend and stagnation is because of the mt. gox coins. It's like a looming sword hanging over bitcoin. I didn't buy into most FUD like China ban, Korea ban, etc. but personally when I read that Kobayashi sold thousands of coins, and could possibly sell many, many more it was the first time I actually got worried for bitcoin. If I was an investor, and thinking of investing a million or two, into bitcoin, this news would absolutely change my mind. Not only is it very plausible that those coins can be sold in the near future, but the impact is very clear.
I don't think the crash from the ATH was caused by Kobayashi, but I think the current stagnation and continuing down-trend certainly was. It has made people much more cautious and the only way out of this is if the court in Japan would release a statement that these coins will 100% not be sold but returned to the original owners in some fashion (as they should be). I know there was a statement that, until September, there will be no further sell-off but as an investor, 6 months are too soon for me to risk any significant amount just to have bitcoin dumped by a whale, or more appropriately, the mother of all whales. I am hoping this is not discouraging, I hope to be wrong and believe this can be turned around but to be honest right now I don't know how.
Of course there is absolutely no investment that is 100% risk free, but real estate is "safe enough".
Real estate as an investment is ok if:
1. You own it outright, or are actively working to own it outright
2. It pays you back (e.g., renter or leaser income)
3. It has some appreciation
Otherwise, it definitely isn't an "asset" unless it meets those criteria. It is a liability. I cringe when I hear people talk about their home as an "asset", especially when it's not paid off and they have zero intention of ever selling it.
That's simply not true and depends highly on how much equity you have in the house. In fact, not living in the house and having to sell it makes you pay a lot more capital gains taxes compared to selling a house you're actually living in (or have lived within a certain amount of years). Of course it depends on the neighborhood and location, but generally Americans have a lot of their wealth stored in their home and that's not a bad thing. It's generally much safer to live in the house that you are paying off (the benefits are greater) but renting can also be great as long as you're able to find good renters, which can be very difficult. It's still an asset if you have paid off a decent amount and don't live in an undesirable location.
TLDR: Consensus has become a cesspool of ICO scams.
Have you looked at the agenda? There aren't any ICO's there. Not saying the conference is good. I'd say there's a lack of good speakers (such as Andreas).