KEY POINTS
Bitcoin plunged 15% on Thursday, dropping below $30,000.
The digital currency had been on a tear up until two weeks ago, climbing over $40,000 on Jan. 7.
It’s now 30% off its record high.
Thursday, as the cryptocurrency continued its 2021 slide after quadrupling in value last year.
The digital currency dropped 17% to $29,246.77, wiping out about $100 billion from the market, according to data from CoinDesk. It’s now down more than 30% since peaking at $41,940 earlier this month.
The latest plunge, which comes without any clear reason, underscores the volatility of a currency that’s become a popular investment for day traders in recent years even as it still has limited real-world application. Bitcoin rose over 300% in 2020, closing the year right about where it sits currently.
Ether, the digital currency that’s second to Bitcoin in total value, dropped even more on Thursday, declining 22% to $1053.80. It’s now 27% below its high from earlier this week, according to CoinDesk. Ether rose 471% last year.
President Joe Biden picked Gary Gensler, the former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and an ex-Goldman Sachs banker, to be the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Gensler taught about cryptocurrencies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, starting in 2018.
Nominations are open for the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50, a list of private start-ups using breakthrough technology to become the next generation of great public companies. Submit by Friday, Feb. 12, at 3 pm EST.
