Bitcoin prices are mostly unchanged Tuesday, extending the recent lull in price activity that has pushed a popular gauge of volatility to its lowest level in almost two years.
One measure of bitcoin’s volatility in the prior 30-day period marked its lowest level since December 2016, as the world’s largest cryptocurrency remains pegged either side of $6,500 baffling industry onlookers.
“It’s hard to have a major thought on it as each day it’s a carbon copy of the last,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda. “If we see a breakout it could attract momentum, but we’ve been wondering when it will come for a while now.”
Erlam said the consolidation could have served as a period for crypto proponents to work on the technology surrounding digital currencies. “Only time will tell whether they have built something more sustainable,” he said.
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Bitcoin 30-day volatility index
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In Tuesday trading a single bitcoin BTCUSD, -0.30% was changing hands at $6,346.31, up 0.1% since yesterday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange.
Elsewhere, altcoins, the group of more than 2,000 coins other than bitcoin, were having a mixed day Tuesday. Ether, ETHUSD, -2.17% was off 1.1% at $205.74, Bitcoin Cash BCHUSD, +0.55% was up 1% at $515.10, Litecoin LTCUSD, -2.57% was down 0.9% at $49.73 and XRP, XRPUSD, -3.60% was off 0.9% at 51 cents.
Bitcoin futures are underperforming spot prices on Tuesday. The Cboe Global Markets November contract XBTX8, -0.87% was down 0.6% at $6,285 and the CME Group November contract BTCX8, -0.87% was down 0.6% at $6,290.
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