INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
more stable in the process.Volatility of the original and biggest cryptocurrency has sunk to its lowest for nearly two years, with price
swings falling lower than increasingly edgy US stocks for more than two weeks in a row.Measured on a weekly basis, bitcoin volatility is set
to fall to its lowest since the end of 2016, when the digital coin was still a niche asset yet to muscle its way into global
focus.Volatility has been a major characteristic of the digital currency, which turned 10-years-old last week, throwing up major hurdles to
its emergence as a mainstream asset class.Most mainstream institutional investors, sceptical about its ability to store value in any
predictable way, have also stayed clear
At the same time, regulators across the globe have emphasised price instability when issuing warnings to retail investors dabbling in the
cryptocurrency.Volatility has also prevented the spread of bitcoin as a method of payments, its intended purpose.Traders and investors are
waiting for clarity on how regulators will treat bitcoin products such as exchange-traded funds, leading to them holding off on major
purchases or sales.A fall in trading volumes over the last three months is also a key factor, said Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie, CEO of BCB
Group, a cryptocurrency prime broker.In contrast to bitcoin, volatility in the SP 500, has since late September climbed to near seven-month
Investors in US stocks are worried over rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and global trade and protectionism.Bitcoin soared over 1,300 per
cent last year to a record high of almost $20,000 in December
This year it has slumped as much as 70 per cent, before settling into a period of relative stability since September.On Tuesday it was
trading at around $6,420.
