Bitcoin slides more than 5% after topping $40,000 for first time

Bitcoin fell more than 5% on Friday, a day after topping $40,000 for the first time.

The world’s most popular digital currency slid to as low as $36,618.36 on Bitstamp exchange, after reaching an all-time high of $40,402.46 in the previous session.

Market participants had warned of a correction after the $40,000 milestone was reached.

Increased demand from institutional, corporate, and more recently retail investors has powered bitcoin’s surge, attracted by the prospect of quick gains in a world of ultra-low yields and negative interest rates.

JPMorgan strategists wrote on Jan. 5 that the digital currency has emerged as a rival to gold and could trade as high as $146,000 if it becomes established as a safe-haven asset.

Bitcoin slides more than 5% after topping $40,000 for first time, Reuters, Jan 8