The aftershock of Ukraine crisis is leaving no sector unaffected, with the prices of popular cryptocurrencies tumbling in double digits today. Data from price tracking-website Coinmarketcap shows that the price of bitcoin, the de-facto reference cryptocurrency, fell 9.33% (to change) over a rolling 24-hour period, currently trading at $35,247 (at 6:30 pm IST).
A total of $150 billion has been wiped off in market capitalisation of the cryptocurrencies being tracked by the website. The market capitalisation is the product of the price of the cryptocurrency and the number of units of them in circulation (of those cryptocurrencies being tracked by the website).
Other major cryptocurrencies are much worse off.
Ethereum is down, 12.67%, trading at $2,371 per coin, while litecoin, an early bitcoin spinoff, is down 15%, trading at $93.39.
The main brunt has been borne the so-called "memecoins". These cryptocurrencies are based on memes and jokes, but have gone mainstream.
Dogecoin has lost nearly 16.75%, trading at just above 11.1 cents per coin. This is a far cry, nearly 85% lower from its all-time high of 73 cents, that it attained last May in the pandemic-led rally in across the cryptocurrency space. The shiba inu coin, which is also based on the shiba inu breed dog like dogecoin and considered to be its memecoin rival, has lost 17.xx%, but its price remains low in absolute terms, costing less than one-ten thousandth of a dollar. It is currently trading at $0.00002152.
These prices remain volatile, and is expected swing further as North America begins daytime trading across markets.
Cryptocurrencies often work in tandem with other asset prices, like equity, as could also be witnessed throughout the pandemic when equity markets, like cryptocurrencies, went from strength to strength.
Increased financial restrictions and an escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, where the latter witnessed a broader invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has also caused several currencies around the world to depreciate with respect to the dollar.
Equity markets too have take a beating, with markets in Europe and Asia being in the red.
Coinmarket can be found here.
Also Read: Sensex, Nifty Crash 3% As Russia Launches 'Military Operation' In Ukraine