REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel
- Bitcoin has tanked as much as 50% in two days amid a major market rout over coronavirus concerns.
- The digital coin tumbled as much as 32% on Friday before paring some of those losses.
- "Investors are liquidating alternative assets such as Gold and Cryptocurrency to meet market obligations and build cash-reserves," Matthew Dibb, co-founder and chief operating officer of Stack, told Business Insider in an email.
- Watch Bitcoin trade live on Markets Insider.
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Bitcoin is losing its luster as a safe-haven asset amid the coronavirus-induced market rout.
The world's largest cryptocurrency tumbled another 32% early Friday, falling to $3,915. That brings its total losses in the last two days to 50% — one of the largest drops on record for the digital coin. Bitcoin pared losses after the epic drop.
The Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index fell as much as 49%, hitting a historic low. Other coins such as Ripple and Ethereum whiplashed, falling and then regaining some losses.
"Investors are liquidating alternative assets such as Gold and Cryptocurrency to meet market obligations and build cash-reserves, a similar theme to that which occurred during the last financial crisis," Matthew Dibb, co-founder and chief operating officer of Stack, told Business Insider in an email.
His expectation is that a further sell-off "will likely lead to additional downside in the cryptocurrency market and lower liquidity for spot trading and derivatives instruments."
Bitcoin's epic fall comes as markets also reel over the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the S&P 500 shed 10% in its worst performance since the 1987 market crash, and all three major US indexes ended the day solidly in bear-market territory.
At the same time, safe-haven assets slumped as investors sold them off to boost cash. Gold, which usually rallies when stocks decline, fell on Thursday before trimming losses Friday. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond advanced Friday as investors sold the safe-haven asset — yields move inverse to price.
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See Also:
- A Wall Street firm that saw an 'unusually large' crash coming explains why history shows the ongoing sell-off is far from over
- 'A nuclear f---ing warhead': A former hedge-fund manager says coronavirus panic will bring the global economy to its knees — and a depression is now his 'base case'
- DEUTSCHE BANK: These 4 historical playbooks show how deep the coronavirus plunge could go and how long it could last
