Bitcoin Steadies From 26% Slump as Traders Brave Volatility

Bitcoin held above $11,000 a day after losing a quarter of its value as traders sought a floor for pricing amid growing concern regulators around the world will move ahead with new rules to restrict the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry, according to Bloomberg.

The largest digital currency rose 4.7 percent to $11,190 at 10:35 a.m. in Hong Kong, recovering some ground after slumping as much as 26 percent Tuesday according to Bloomberg composite pricing. Ripple added 10 percent while Ethereum rose about 6 percent as rival cryptocurrencies also rebounded modestly.

Speculators across the globe are struggling to determine when or how market watchdogs may rein in an industry that’s decentralized and derives much of its value from anonymous ownership. Many assertions that digital coins represent a bubble have triggered double-digit selloffs over the past year, only to be followed by rebounds.

In South Korea, shutting down cryptocurrency exchanges is still an option, Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said in an interview with TBS radio. But measures first need “serious“ discussion among ministries, Kim added, holding out hope for traders that a crackdown won’t go that far. Kim said there’s irrational speculation and that rational regulation was needed.

China, which first began targeting the industry last year, is escalating its clampdown on cryptocurrency trading, particularly online platforms and mobile apps that offer exchange-like services, according to people familiar with the matter. In the U.S., state regulators are becoming more active with BitConnect shuttering its cryptocurrency exchange and lending operation after receiving two cease-and-desist letters from the Texas State Securities Board and North Carolina Secretary of State Securities Division for the unauthorized sale of securities and suffering from denial-of-service attacks.