Followers

Why is the cryptocurrency market down today?

THE crypto market have seen mixed results over the past 24 hours after some unfortunate news came out overseas.

The price of Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency on the market, is now just trading over $57,00 after hitting a record high of more than $69,000 earlier this month.

AFP
Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies are down in value[/caption]

Cardano, XRP, and Shiba Inu are also down today, according to Coinmarketcap.

The website shows that the Galla suffered the biggest fall among major cryptos over the past 24 hours, plunging 14%.

This comes after India gets set to unveil legislation that would ban all private cryptocurrencies – aside from a few exceptions.

Meanwhile, Dogecoin and Etheruem are up 3% and 2% respectively today.

Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, meaning their values often make large swings with no notice, as the latest plunge shows.

Investing in cryptocurrency is a very risky business.

You can be left with less money than you put in, and could even lose it all.

You might not be able to access your investment if platforms go down and you could be left unable to convert crypto back into cash.

There have also been warnings around scams related to cryptocurrencies, with people losing vast sums of money.

You should never invest in something you don’t understand and you should never put in money that you can’t afford to lose entirely.

(Ad) An easier way to buy crypto with eToro

Join the 20 million users who trust their investments with eToro.

You can start investing from as little as $50. 

Choose from a selection of crypto assets including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin. You can practice risk-free, with a virtual investment account. 

Buy crypto with eToro 

Cryptocurrency investing within the EU (by eToro Europe Ltd. and eToro UK Ltd.) & USA (by eToro USA LLC) is highly volatile, unregulated in most EU countries and the UK. No consumer protection. Not supervised by the EU or UK regulatory framework. Investments are subject to market risk, including the loss of principal.

Why have the crypto markets been down?

Aside from the news out of India – cryptocurrencies have been enduring volatility lately.

And there a few reasons why.

One, Twitter’s chief financial officer Ned Segal said investing in crypto “doesn’t make sense right now”, causing concern among Silicon Valley buyers.

China also announced plans to clean up virtual currency mining, according to CNBC.

Previous moves by the country to crackdown on mining and trading of crypto has previously sent markets plunging.

Meanwhile, US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), stopped a fund listing that would track the price of bitcoin.

If successfully listed, the fund would have enabled investors to enjoy any gains – or suffer falls – in the price of bitcoin, without having to hold the cryptocurrency directly themselves.

But the exchange traded fund (ETF) was rejected by the SEC, which is sceptical about the cryptocurrency.

Matthew Dibb, COO and co-founder of Stack Funds, told CoinDesk Bitcoin will likely fall further.

He said: “We have noticed some larger sales occur on Bitfinex as well as openings of new short positions.

“While liquidations so far are quite low by historical standard and funding rates are approaching flat, we could see a further cool-off in BTC for the short term as momentum is beginning to stall.”

Victoria Scholar, head of investment at interactive investor, said: “In price action that’s true to form, the notoriously volatile cryptocurrency complex has suffered a significant sell-off driven by no singular fundamental catalyst.”

The price plunge comes after it hit all-time highs but cryptos have been under pressure with losses accelerating this week, she said, sending Bitcoin and Ether down more than 13% from recent highs.

“From a technical perspective, bitcoin has breached key support at $60,000, which could pave the way for further declines unless it can break back above this round number resistance,” she added.

“However, it is worth pointing out that although this is shaping up to be the biggest one-day sell-off since September, so far the drop has only taken the price of bitcoin back down to three-week lows with another 33% drop required to revisit the September trough.”

Kunal Sawhney, chief executive officer of equities research firm Kalkine Group, told Yahoo Finance that a 5% to 10% correction was “quite normal,” given the surge in trading in the previous month.

The major cryptos have dropped before following a global sell-off in stock markets.

That came after the struggling Evergrande property giant in China sparked wider fears for the global economy.

Snowed under a huge debt pile, a business default could hurt more than just China and it’s also sparked fears it could affect the crypto markets.

China announced a ban on cryptocurrencies in September, when JP Morgan analysts also warned that the markets were due a correction following “retail investor mania”.

And in August, hackers stole $600million in a cryptocurrency heist after spotting a “vulnerability” in a blockchain site.

That came after a series of worldwide crackdowns on the cryptocurrency market, and another big sell-off in global stock markets.

5 risks of crypto investments

THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned people about the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies.

  • Consumer protection: Some investments advertising high returns based on cryptoassets may not be subject to regulation beyond anti-money laundering requirements. 
  • Price volatility: Significant price volatility in cryptoassets, combined with the inherent difficulties of valuing cryptoassets reliably, places consumers at a high risk of losses.
  • Product complexity: The complexity of some products and services relating to cryptoassets can make it hard for consumers to understand the risks. There is no guarantee that cryptoassets can be converted back into cash. Converting a cryptoasset back to cash depends on demand and supply existing in the market. 
  • Charges and fees: Consumers should consider the impact of fees and charges on their investment which may be more than those for regulated investment products.  
  • Marketing materials: Firms may overstate the returns of products or understate the risks involved.

Many crypto-mining regions in China are radically reducing operations.

Miners create new cryptocurrencies using a complex computer code in a complex process, which is highly energy intensive and requires a lot of computer power.

Authorities in the China’s southwest province of Sichuan ordered crypto-mining projects to close earlier this summer.

It followed on from Beijing declared war on Bitcoin mining and trading as part of a series of measures to control financial risks.

Iran has also banned the mining of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin for nearly four months because the country faces major blackouts and mining uses lots of power.

Coins took another big blow in April when Turkey’s central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies for purchases.

From Dogecoin and Litecoin to Bitcoin – here are the different cryptocurrencies explained.

 

We pay for your stories!

Do you have a story for The Sun Money team?

Email us at money@the-sun.co.uk



* Read the full story...This article was originally published h

Who will be Next to leave the EU? Check out who is leading in our exclusive poll Poll

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Politicians are wrong about what the public want

Federal Suit Hits Soros for $10 Billion for ‘Political Meddling, Motivated Solely by Malice’

Furious Brussels tells EU states to ignore UK as huge trade deal erupts