EXPLAINER: Why has the price of Bitcoin been falling?

The price of the famously volatile digital currency Bitcoin fell nearly 30% at one point Wednesday after the China Banking Association warned member banks of the risks associated with digital currencies

NEW YORK -- Even by Bitcoin's standards, Wednesday was pretty wild. The price of the famously volatile digital currency fell nearly 30% at one point after the China Banking Association warned member banks of the risks associated with digital currencies. The decline narrowed to below 10% in the afternoon, but Bitcoin had still lost about $70 billion in market value in 24 hours. Bitcoin has lost about 38% of its value since April 13 when it hit a high of more than $64,800, according to Coindesk. The China warning was just the latest headwind: Before Wednesday, Tesla's decision to not accept the digital currency as payment for cars — after it said it would — and murmurings in Washington about tighter regulation of digital currencies had put pressure on Bitcoin. The price is still up about 31% in 2021 and nearly 300% from a year ago. Here’s a look at Bitcoin and digital currencies in general: