Bitcoin was flat on Friday, December 29, at $14,500 on the Bitstamp exchange, having sunk 6 percent on Thursday. It was off the record highs near $20,000 touched 12 days ago but still headed for a gain of roughly 1,400 percent in 2017.
The virtual currency depreciated around 7 percent on Thursday, December 28, to trade just above $14,000 BTC=BTSP on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange.
The virtual currency has dwarfed any gains in traditional financial markets this year, with a more than 1,400 percent rise. But since hitting record highs around $20,000 11 days ago, it has been falling sharply
Bitcoin BTC=BTSP, the digital currency which many would consider one of the most risky bets out there, failed to benefit from the risk-on mood – it fell more than 10 percent to under $14,000.
Bitcoin has declined from record highs of nearly $20,000 earlier this year but is still up about 39 percent this month and has gained 5,000 percent in 2017.