Exchange Investigates Flash Crash That Sent Bitcoin to $8,900

03/19/2024 16:36
Exchange Investigates Flash Crash That Sent Bitcoin to $8,900

(Bloomberg) -- Crypto exchange BitMEX is investigating unusual trading activity that led to a flash crash in Bitcoin on its platform yesterday.Most Read from BloombergApple Is in Talks to Let Google Gemini Power iPhone AI FeaturesTrump Rules Out Vivek Ramaswamy as Running Mate as He Eyes New TeamMusk Says His Ketamine Prescription Is in Investors’ Best InterestsNvidia Unveils Successor to Its All-Conquering AI ProcessorPutin Warns Russia Won’t Stop After Predictable Election WinThe price of Bitc

(Bloomberg) -- Crypto exchange BitMEX is investigating unusual trading activity that led to a flash crash in Bitcoin on its platform yesterday.

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The price of Bitcoin against Tether’s USDT stablecoin fell to as low as $8,900 on BitMEX late Monday, while the largest cryptocurrency was trading above $66,000 on rival venues. The price of Bitcoin on the exchange quickly recovered and was trading at $64,284 as of 4:10 p.m Singapore time.

A spokesperson for BitMEX said the company investigated the incident and found evidence of “aggressive selling behavior involving a very small number of accounts that exceeded expected market ranges,” adding that its systems had operated normally and all user funds are safe.

An X account named @syq, which first posted about the sudden selloff, suggested the flash crash coincided with the sale of 977 Bitcoin worth roughly $66 million. BitMEX’s spokesperson declined to comment further on the details of the incident.

Bitcoin has fallen around 14% from record highs set earlier this month, after a period of rampant demand driven by a crop of spot ETFs launched in the US on Jan. 11. The token is still up almost 50% in 2024.

Bitcoin shed as much as 6.3% to trade at $63,140 on Tuesday after the $25 billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, or GBTC, posted a $643 million outflow, its highest since it converted into an ETF on Jan. 11.

Read more: Bitcoin Retreats as Grayscale ETF Posts Biggest Daily Outflow

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