The cryptocurrency leader was approaching the symbolic threshold of 30,000 dollars, not crossed since January. The price of bitcoin fell sharply on Tuesday, dragging other cryptocurrencies in its wake. No concrete explanation seemed to explain the drop in prices on Tuesday. Around 3:45 p.m. GMT, bitcoin lost 8.6% to 31,501 dollars, a level not seen since mid-May, when the volatile cryptocurrency had temporarily lost 30% in one session. The second largest cryptocurrency, ethereum, lost 11.2% to 2,361 dollars. The cryptocurrency dogecoin, created as a parody but often hyped by billionaire and Tesla boss Elon Musk, had an even more turbulent year than bitcoin: its price rose from less than a tenth of a cent in January to nearly 70 cents in May. It is currently hovering around 31 cents.

Some analysts pointed out that the seizure of bitcoins belonging to Darkside hackers representing $2.3 million by US authorities may have played a role in this tumble. The day's decline "should be stunning for a single session, but it's no longer a surprise for investors in the cryptocurrency universe", comments Hugh Shields, analyst at SpreadEx.com , who calls this market "an anomaly. ". Harsgreaves Lansdown analysts say efforts by governments around the world to regulate cryptocurrencies are creating waves of concern.