Bitcoin falls below $19,000 as cryptos creak under rate hike risk

Cryptocurrencies fell to fresh lows on Monday on regulatory concerns and as investors globally turned shy on risky assets with interest rate rises looming around the world. Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency by market value, fell about five per cent to a three-month low of $18,387. Ether, the second largest cryptocurrency, dropped 3pc to a two-month low of $1,285 and is down more than 10pc in the last 24 hours. Most other smaller tokens were deeper in the red. The Ethereum blockchain, which underpins the ether token, had a major upgrade over the weekend called the Merge that changes the way transactions are processed and cuts energy use. The token’s value has fallen amid some speculation that remarks last week from US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler implied the new structure could attract extra regulation. Trades around the upgrade also were unwound.