Money Talks: Crypto winter is here

In much of the northern hemisphere, it is summer. But in the world of crypto, winter has arrived. The price of bitcoin, which has been hovering around $20,000, is 70% below its peak of last year. In fact, the entire market capitalisation of the cryptoverse has shrunk by more than two-thirds since November 2021. Is this, as the crypto bulls say, a much needed correction? Or is this the beginning of a domino effect that could see the entire decentralised finance system unravel? This week, hosts Alice Fulwood, Mike Bird and Soumaya Keynes first look at why this crash is different from the many that have come before in the short life-span of cryptocurrencies. Then, they ask what weaknesses have been exposed in this downturn. Will this downturn finally see the end of the crypto hype and bust cycle? Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at www.economist.com/moneytalks