The IRS treats bitcoin and other cryptocurrency transactions as property and not as currency. As such, you must figure gain on the transaction in the same way as with any other type of property. The IRS posted guidance (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-14-21.pdf) on this matter several years ago, but may revisit the topic, so stay alert.
A tax technique of applying a loss or credit from a current year to a later year. For example, a business net operating loss may be carried forward 20 years instead of being carried back.