Fed president Neel Kashkari tears into 'giant garbage dumpster' cryptocurrencies

When asked at a Montana event whether he'd want his 1-year-old daughter to be gifted a Treasury bond or a bitcoin for her next birthday, the Fed chief picked the former, saying cryptocurrencies are "like a giant garbage dumpster." Kashkari praised the dollar's stability compared to the relatively new crypto sector. Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari didn't pull punches when giving his opinion on the cryptocurrency sector on Tuesday.When asked at a Montana event whether he'd want his 1-year-old daughter to be gifted a Treasury bond or a bitcoin for her next birthday, the Fed chief picked the former, saying cryptocurrencies are "like a giant garbage dumpster." Kashkari praised the dollar's stability compared to the relatively new crypto sector."The reason that the dollar has value is because the US government has a legal monopoly on producing the dollar," he said. Bitcoin's price swelled nearly tenfold in the second half of 2017, and just as quickly lost value as investors questioned the coin's true value.The Fed official didn't completely turn his back to the technology, clarifying that cryptocurrencies could prove important in the coming decades but remain a highly volatile asset for the time being."Maybe five years from now or 10 years from now or 20 years from now something useful will emerge from this, but so far, all that's emerging is burning garbage," Kashkari said.Tuesday didn't mark the first time the Fed president spoke out against the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry.