The price of bitcoin fell below the $30,000 mark on Wednesday for the second time this week, after new data showed inflation is still running near 40-year highs.
Bitcoin fell about 7% to $29,196.10, according to Coin Metrics. Ether was down 8% to $2,160.46.
Cryptocurrencies declined with stock futures after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported consumer prices for the month of April jumped 8.3%, which was slightly higher than expected by economists polled by Dow Jones.
That spooked investors, leading them to exit risk assets including crypto. Cryptocurrencies remain highly correlated with the S&P 500 and, more recently, the Nasdaq Composite. Both stock indexes were lower Wednesday.
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This is the second time this week bitcoin has fallen into the $29,000 range. Analysts have called $30,000 a key level for the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, and said it could fall even further if it can’t hold there.
This time last week bitcoin touched a recent high of $40,000 but quickly reversed the next day and has been steadily hitting new lows since.