Markets
DOW
S&P 500
NASDAQ
Hot Stocks
Fear & Greed Index
----- is driving the US market
Latest Market News
----- is driving the US market
Something isn't loading properly. Please check back later.
Ad Feedback
Ad Feedback
By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business
2 minute read
Published 10:15 AM EDT, Fri March 13, 2020
Top business news 16 videos
Video Ad Feedback
Is XRP better than Bitcoin?
Video Ad Feedback
Macy's downsizing stores to reinvest in luxury retail
Video Ad Feedback
How this new methane satellite will hold government and companies accountable
Video Ad Feedback
CNN reporter tries Starbucks' unconventional new latte flavor
Video Ad Feedback
'Shark Tank' star says Trump engaged in regular behavior for real estate development
Video Ad Feedback
This water bottle TikTok sensation is now facing scrutiny
Video Ad Feedback
Watch McDonald's customers criticize the high food prices
Video Ad Feedback
The newest financial TikTok trend is the opposite of 'quiet luxury'
Video Ad Feedback
Apple's new headset just dropped: Will you pay $3,500?
Video Ad Feedback
Zuckerberg apologizes to families during Senate hearing
Video Ad Feedback
Musk startup implanted a brain chip into a human. Gupta explains how it works
Video Ad Feedback
Restaurant offered subscriptions for date nights. It sold out in 60 seconds
Video Ad Feedback
Could space be the next platform for war? Hear what NASA official thinks
Video Ad Feedback
See Tetris president's reaction after 13-year-old appears to break the game
Video Ad Feedback
Treasury secretary on economy: Pessimism has proven unwarranted
Video Ad Feedback
13-year-old dumbfounded after appearing to beat classic video game
New York CNN Business —
Bitcoin remained highly volatile Friday – even as the stock market posted a solid rebound.
The price of one bitcoin (XBT) fell 3% in early morning trading to about $5,600 before recovering a bit. At one point Friday morning, prices had plunged as low as $3,850.
Bitcoin has plummeted 30% in just the past week. The cryptocurrency was trading above $10,000 only a few weeks ago.
Many investors have viewed bitcoin as a way to protect themselves from interest rate cuts by central banks like the Federal Reserve, ECB and Bank of Japan.
When banks are slashing rates, like they are now, that tends to weaken the value of the paper currencies that governments print.
But the market turmoil from the global coronavirus outbreak has turned everything on its head.
The prices of other top cryptocurrencies, such as ethereum, XRP, litecoin and EOS, have all plummeted as of late too.
Meanwhile, gold has rallied. It often tends to do well during times of intense fear as investors appreciate the fact that this a physical asset with tangible value. Gold prices are up more than 3% this year.
“Bitcoin has always been touted as digital gold and considered as a safe haven asset. A safe haven asset is usually popular amid investors during…turbulence…but lately, we have not seen this at all,” said AvaTrade chief market analyst Naeem Aslam in a report Friday morning.
Aslam said that the fact that bitcoin had been surging up until just a few weeks ago is the main reason it is getting hit so hard now.
He noted that many investors in stocks are dumping assets that had been doing well to lock in gains and pay back loans they used to buy stocks.
Investors may need to take further profits in bitcoin to avoid a margin call from brokerages that would force them to sell even more assets, Aslam said. He thinks bitcoin could fall back to about $2,630, which is where it traded in August 2016.
Ad Feedback
CNN Business Videos
Ad Feedback
Ad Feedback