All major cryptocurrencies are crashing again and bitcoin is nearing $6,000

bitcoin

Cryptocurrency crash extends to another day.
Bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, ripple, and bitcoin cash are all suffering double-digit percentage losses.
Bitcoin could break below $6,000.

LONDON — Cryptocurrencies are diving again on Tuesday, extending a slump that began in earnest at the start of January.

Bitcoin is in danger of breaking below $6,000, while ethereum, litecoin, bitcoin cash, and ripple are all posting double-digit percentage losses on Tuesday morning.

Here's the scoreboard:

Tuesday's slump follows carnage in the crypto market on Friday and a market slump in early January. From a peak of $830 billion at the start of January, the global cryptocurrency market has now shrunk to $285 billion, according to data provider CoinMarketCap.com.

The latest dive comes in tandem with a global stock market rout but that appears to be uncorrelated with the crypto crash.

Commentators have been blaming fears of regulation, cooling interest from Asia, and fears over the role cryptocurrency Tether plays in the bitcoin market. Banks are also clamping down on customers buying cryptocurrencies on their credit cards.

Miles Eakers, chief market analyst at foreign exchange business Centtrip, said in an email on Monday night: "Governments across the globe continue to clamp down on retail investors speculating on cryptocurrencies, with the People’s Bank of China stating it would step up measures to remove any onshore or offshore platforms related to virtual currency trading or ICOs, ‘to prevent financial risks’."

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