After reaching a high of nearly $20,000 at the end of 2017, Bitcoin started 2018 at $13,412 but then plummeted to under $6,000 by June due to negative events. It remained around $6,000 for the rest of the year, showing much lower volatility than in the first half of the year. Major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple caused uncertainty for investors and financial institutions due to losses. Some analysts believe the low volatility in late 2018 implies Bitcoin is maturing as an asset, while others see it as lack of interest; but 2019 may bring more clarity.

1. Bitcoin today
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2. Bitcoin 2018 Review
After its huge upward momentum at the end
of 2017 and after nearly reaching the $20K
mark, Bitcoin started 2018 with a value of
USD 13,412. During that time, the trading
world was still experiencing the
“cryptocurrency euphoria”, but as the year
progressed the price of Bitcoin plummeted,
falling even under $6,000 in the end of June.
Since then, the world’s most popular
cryptocurrency has remained around that
$6K mark, showing exceptionally low value
volatility, if compared to its fluctuations in
the first semester of 2018.
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3. Bitcoin 2018 Event Timeline
Out of the over 1,600 cryptocurrencies
available (the number of which is steadily
growing), Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are the
three cryptocurrencies that have attracted the
majority of digital asset investors. Although
there are year-to-date losses recorded across
the cryptocurrency board, these three are the
ones that have caused most of the uncertainty
to both investors as well as financial
institutions.
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4. Strong Start Followed by a “Cold
Shower”
The year started with rumours that billionaire
investors spent millions of dollars in order to buy
Bitcoin. This pushed the value of Bitcoin up by
$3,000, reaching $17,135 on the 6th of January.
Unfortunately, the events that followed were
unfavourable for Bitcoin as numerous media
advertising bans, hacks and theft scandals pushed
the price down to the $6,600 mark in the beginning
of April.
Some good news for Bitcoin investors came in the
beginning of May, however. Large investment banks
announced that they were looking towards
expanding their trading operations, by beginning to
offer trade contracts with prices linked to Bitcoin.
This resulted in a Bitcoin value uplift, as the
cryptocurrency jumped to almost $10,000 on the 5th
of May.
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5. Unfortunate Events Prove Joy
Ephemeral
Once again, a series of hacks and bad news
drove the price of Bitcoin down, making some
investors believe that the bubble had burst and
that this would be the end of Bitcoin.
Nevertheless, both private investors as well as
financial institutions decided to spread a safety
net around it, in order to prevent any future
threats that could affect the performance of
digital assets.
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6. Technology & Regulations Bring
Balance
The evolution of blockchain and all the technological
improvements around the cryptocurrency spectrum
are changing not only the trading of digital assets, but
the Internet as a whole. Bitcoin is gradually beginning
to be shielded by both blockchain technology as well
as international trading regulations. As a result, many
investors feel that we are heading towards a better
future for cryptocurrencies.
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7. If an investor were to compare Bitcoin’s past performance
to its current one against all major currencies, that which
they would see is a stable performance looking more like
the performance of a forex pair. The price no longer
fluctuates uncontrollably (for cryptocurrency standards),
having just small upward or downward changes on the
value.
Some see this as a lack of investing interest for Bitcoin, but
others believe that it is a result of the successful
implementation of Bitcoin’s defence mechanisms and the
lack of toxicity in its trading audience. No matter which of
the two is right, 2019 is going to be an interesting year not
just for Bitcoin, but for all cryptocurrencies.
What Does the Low Volatility Imply?
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8. • Information above cannot be
considered as an investment
advise and past results do not
indicate future performance.
• **Investors should have
experience and understand the
risks of losing all the initial
investment
What Does the Low Volatility Imply?
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