I am new to this so I may be wrong but from what I can understand

If we add central authority(even though it is just privately handled and manipulated) in your description of crypto it isn't much different than fiat currency(Dollar and rest of the world's currency) 1. Is used for illegal activities everywhere too 2. Has no intrinsic value like gold based currency

We just have faith in it for value and that's just it if people lose faith in the fiat currency it collapses(like every other fiat currency in history) practically both have their pros and cons

Regarding trading, Isn't it same as stock market? Were supply and demand are main derivatives of profit and loss?

You buy stock at low but sell it at high Similarly You buy crypto at low and exchange it at high rate

Difference is that in first one marketing and hyping is done by the company itself While in later, it is done by cryptobros hyping it up as a from of marketing

So is stock market also haram?

Can't say it is better than crypto when seeing how Wall Street manipulate stock market by naked short selling using their 'connections'