The price of the most famous cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, continues to fall, dropping below $97,000 in the early hours of the morning. Traders on cryptocurrency markets recorded forced liquidations of cryptocurrencies worth more than $1 billion in a single day, according to data from the specialized website CoinGlass. Bitcoin’s appreciation since the beginning of the year has thus fallen to about 5%, down from around 35% at the beginning of October.
Bitcoin falls 6.5%: volatility triggers forced liquidation of leveraged positions
Shortly before 10:00 CET, bitcoin was trading at around $96,900, down 6.5% over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin is traded continuously and does not have a start and end to trading within the day like traditional stock exchanges. The price of Bitcoin peaked at the beginning of October this year, when it rose above $125,000.
Traders are sometimes forced to liquidate their positions in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies if the price does not develop as they expected and they borrowed money to buy. This applies to both those who speculate on price increases and those who believe that the price will fall. If a trader with this leverage is unable to provide the lender with additional money to cover the loan in the event of an unfavorable development, their position is automatically liquidated and the money obtained goes to the lender.
Bitcoin below $100,000 again
Data from the CoinGecko website shows that Bitcoin has fallen below the psychologically significant threshold of $100,000 for the third time this month. Some traders cite the end of the record-long US federal government shutdown as the reason for the sell-off of Bitcoin. The released capital is thus likely to be directed, at least in part, into US government bonds.
Bitcoin was created in 2009 as an alternative to official currencies. It is based on blockchain technology, which is a decentralized ledger that allows data, not just cryptocurrencies, to be sent transparently and securely. In 2010, bitcoin was worth less than one dollar.
Source: Reuters
