Bitcoin drops below $40,000, other cryptocurrencies also plunge

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies fell on Thursday as some of the initial excitement around US President Joe Biden’s executive order on digital assets faded.

Bitcoin was last down more than 6% at $39,195.17, according to Coin Metrics.

On Wednesday, bitcoin rose to as much as $42,577 after starting the day trading at around $38,744.

Other cryptocurrencies such as ether and XRP were also trading lower.

Wednesday’s spike came as optimism around Biden’s executive order on cryptocurrencies mounted. The order focuses on six key areas: consumer protection, financial stability, illicit activity, U.S. competitiveness in the industry, financial inclusion and responsible innovation.

Some high-profile cryptocurrency industry players praised the U.S. government’s move. Cameron Winklevoss, co-founder of the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, called it a “watershed moment.”

But not everyone was convinced.

“The executive order is, more than anything, defensive. The main goals of the EO are to protect the US’ financial position globally, make sure US regulations (both federal and global) are not circumvented using crypto, make sure crypto investors and users are protected legally, and that crypto as an industry is regulated in general,” said Guy Gotslak, co-founder of cryptocurrency investment platform My Digital Money.

“These are not bad; we all want the same thing. We want to protect investors, especially the small ones. But the EO does not direct the government to take proactive steps to nurture the growth of technology.”

Vijay Ayyar, vice president of corporate development and international at crypto exchange Luno, said the executive order was “overall more positive or neutral.”

“Hence while the market reacted positively to the statement, momentum wasn’t strong enough to surpass resistance” at $42,000, he said.

“What we can see is that Bitcoin is broadly range bound, unable to make a strong move on either side, coupled with ongoing uncertainty about Ukraine,” Ayyar added.

SOURCE: CNBC