Markets Insider
- The entire cryptocurrency market has lost 10% of its value in the last 24-hours.
- Bitcoin is below $6,000.
- Ethereum fell 17% on Monday and is down another 7% on Tuesday morning.
- You can follow live cryptocurrency prices on Markets Insider.
LONDON — Cryptocurrencies are in the red on Tuesday, with bitcoin leading the market lower after falling below $6,000 per token.
Bitcoin is down 4.5% to $5,975.21 at 8.18 a.m. BST (3.18 a.m. ET). Other major cryptocurrencies are suffering similar drops at the same time:
- Ethereum is down 7.3% to $263.09
- XRP is down 5.2% to $0.26
- Bitcoin Cash is down 7.9% to $489.91
- Stellar is down 7.8% to $0.20
- EOS is down 6.3% to $4.35
- Litecoin is down 10.1% to $50.82
The entire cryptocurrency market has been under pressure since late June when the US Securities and Exchange Commission delayed a decision on whether to approve a bitcoin ETF, a move that bitcoin bulls believe would have greatly increased the size of the market.
The current sell-off began on Monday, with ethereum falling to an 11-month low on the day. That slump comes as startups that raised funding in ethereum through so-called initial coin offerings cash out their holdings into traditional fiat money they can spend on development.
Hussein Sayed, the chief market strategist at FXTM, said in an email on Tuesday morning: "Cryptocurrency bulls also suffered a steep selloff yesterday with bitcoin falling below $6,000 for the first time since late June.
"The blame for this falls on the SEC as the U.S. regulator delayed a decision to create the first Bitcoin ETF. If an ETF doesn’t see the light in the coming weeks expect to see a further selloff, as it suggests regulators will continue to fight against bringing cryptocurrencies into the mainstream. A break below $5,770 will intensify selling pressure as it’s the only major support still standing."
The value of the entire cryptocurrency market has fallen by around 10% over the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap.com.
The slump comes as emerging market currencies are selling off, spooked by last week's collapse of the lira against the dollar. Neil Wilson, the chief market analyst at Markets.com, said in an email that this coincidence "puts paid to the notion of cryptos as a safe haven play."
"Ultimately USD and US Treasury notes are the only real safe harbour," Wilson said.
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See Also:
- One in 2 ICOs failed in the 2nd quarter — and those that succeeded suffered huge losses
- Barclays traders say they're building out a crypto desk— but the bank says it has nothing in the works
- The crypto market has lost 20% of its value in 2 weeks and bitcoin is still dropping
SEE ALSO: Ethereum plunges to its lowest level in 11 months
DON'T MISS: Bitcoin dives after the SEC shoots down plans for another bitcoin ETF
