CRYPTOCURRENCIES including Litecoin have garnered attention from investors in 2021 - but they come with plenty of risks.

Youve probably heard ofBitcoin, but maybe not its so-called little brotherLitecoin. We explain what you need to know.

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Whether you decide to invest in either Bitcoin or its little brother, both come with a number of risks because they are cryptocurrencies.

When it comes to buying crypto in particular - youll want to be cautious in the extremely volatile space. If you arent - you could lose a lot of money quickly.

Just ask investors who were unfortunate to buy at Litecoin's all-time high of $412.96 in May.

Although Litcoin has seen some gains in the past couple of week, investors still find their value in the cryptocurrency down by more than half since May's peak.

Also, be aware of fees and charges. These can cost more when compared with regulated investment products.

Plus, there's scant regulation for crypto firms, so you'll likely be without protection if things go wrong.

While Litecoin seems like an enticing bet, make sure that you dont invest in anything that you dont understand.

As the name indicates, thecryptocurrencyis small.

But Litecoin, which was established in 2011 by Google engineer Charlie Lee, operates similarly to Bitcoin.

Mr Lee on occasions refers to Litecoin as the silver to Bitcoin's gold.

The two cryptocurrencies act similarly in how their global payment operations are set up. Both are not controlled by financial institutions.

Like most cryptocurrencies, Litecoin uses blockchain technology for processing and recording transactions.

While Litecoin is smaller, it is a quicker and cheaper alternative when compared to Bitcoin.

Currently, Bitcoin commands a market capitalization that exceeds $1trillion, while Litecoins valuation lies just below $12billion.

As stated before, Litecoin exploded to $412.96 in early - the closest it has ever gotten to the $500 mark.

Now, however, Litecoin trades at $174.90. In the past 24 hours, Litcoin has risen 3%.

While China has banned all cryptocurrency transactions, big brother Bitcoin has gained on recent favorable news coming from the U.S.

This can be attributed to Gary Gensler, chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, repeating his support for Bitcoinexchange-traded funds(ETFs).

Odds are this helped give Litecoin a boost as well.

Now the question is will it return to its enormous gains any time soon? And will it reach $500?

A bullish forecast comes fromPrimeXBT, which made a bold prediction in September for 2021: "If support can hold, after some sideways price action Litecoin could explode to around $7,000 per coin, based on the measure rule," it said.

But others arent as sanguine on the cryptocurrency surpassing the $500 mark by the end of 2021.

In 12 months' time, the price of Litecoin could exceed $255, according toWallet Investor.

But near the end of 2026, Wallet Investor sees Litecoin exceeding $557.

Then there are more bearish cases from others such asLongForecast, which projects the price of Litecoin to range from just $161 to $206 at the end of 2024.

We also reveal price predictions for 2021 for other major cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, Dogecoin and Cardano, Shiba Inu,dYdX, andEOS.

Plus, check out four things you need to know about Dogecoin.

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Litecoin price prediction 2021: Can the crypto reach $500?... - The Sun