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The price of bitcoin fell 48 percent in two days and lost 30 percent of its value this week, moving in tandem with risk assets and challenging the narrative that bitcoin acts as a safe haven asset in times of political and economic uncertainty.
Bitcoin is currently trading at $5,364, about 40 percent up from a low of $3,858 late Thursday night – the lowest since May 2019. Bitcoin has historically demonstrated strong recoveries from similarly violent sell-offs.
Crypto exchanges briefly went offline early Friday morning, and the New York State Department of Financial Services is requiring licensed crypto firms to produce coronavirus contingency plans.
On Thursday afternoon, between President Trump's speech about travel restrictions and before Christine Lagarde's speech in which she refused to cut rates, the crypto markets fell 20 to 30 percent in the span of an hour in one of bitcoin's sharpest ever selloffs. Gold, platinum, palladium, gasoline, and sugar plummeted around the same time.
"The latest market meltdown centers around liquidity (or lack thereof) as investors sell whatever they can to minimize additional losses or cover their positions," Kevin Kelly, lead analyst at Delphi Digital, said in an investor note Thursday. "The old adage 'cash is king' rings truer than ever at times like this as markets crater and hysteria takes hold. Beware fakeout rallies and false bottoms as they've claimed more careers than they've made."
Ed Egilinsky, Managing Director, Head of Sales and Distribution & Alternatives at Direxion, joins Cheddar News to discuss trading bank volatility, how traders can navigate the race in the A.I. space, and how traders are reacting to the most recent economic data.
Shares of the Swiss bank Credit Suisse tumbled more than 30 percent after its biggest shareholder, the Saudi National Bank, said it could no longer provide funding.
President of Champagne Laurent-Perrier U.S. Michelle DeFeo discusses how she got started in the French wine industry, why she's proud to work for a women-owned brand, and the secret to perfectly opening a bottle of champagne every time.
Markets shuddered Wednesday on worries about a spreading banking crisis and how badly it will hit the economy, and stocks and bond yields fell on both sides of the Atlantic.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell should be very cautious when deciding to raise interest rates or he risks another bank crisis, Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif. 8th District) told Cheddar News.
Eric Menees, CEO and co-founder of fintech lender Fynn, joined Cheddar News to discuss how his startup offers private student loans for the nation's skilled workforce.