Abstract

Cryptocurrencies emerged as an alternative form of payment, investment, and more recently, criminal activity. The proliferation of cryptocurrencies attracted the attention of researchers, investors, and central bankers. Not all attention has been positive; cryptocurrency exchanges, where trading takes place, are prone to (Distributed) Denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks. An additional important drawback of cryptocurrencies is that they exhibit significant price changes (volatility) making them a risky investment. This research utilizes Big Data approaches to measure investor attention and relate it to price volatility. This is achieved using a large database of 25 million financial tweets about 23 of the largest cryptocurrencies as well as a record of DDoS attacks targeting cryptocurrencies.

About the Speaker

Dr. Mohamed Al Guindy is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. Dr. Al Guindy’s research focuses on innovative financial technologies (FinTech). Dr. Al Guindy completed his PhD in Finance and MBA at Queen’s University. An engineer by training, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Toronto, and Master’s degree in electrical engineering at Queen’s university – with particular emphasis on Artificial Intelligence. Al Guindy’s research has been funded by the Canadian Foundation for Governance Research and the Canadian Securities Institute Research Foundation and is currently funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and a SSHRC Explore Grant. His work is featured on Yahoo Finance, Investment Relations (IR) Magazine, and Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation. In addition, his research is regularly presented at leading academic conferences such as the Northern Finance Association, European Finance Association, and the Financial Management Association conferences.

Seminar Moderator:
Dr. Tracey P. Lauriault, Associate Professor, Critical Media and Big Data, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University