Money Talks: Crypto winter is here

<p>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, <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/06/23/three-mechanisms-for-crypto-contagion?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=moneytalks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is 70% below its peak of last yea</a>r. 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?</p><p>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?</p><p>Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.economist.com/moneytalks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/moneytalks </a></p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions, subscribe to <em>The Economist </em>at <a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastoffer?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=moneytalks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/podcastoffer</a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>