Digital currency Bitcoin has started 2015 on a downward value trajectory, with the currency worth less than a third of what it was a year ago. <\/p>\n
The depressed value of Bitcoin follows the hackof the world's third-busiest exchange for the crypto currency, Bitstamp, earlier this month. <\/p>\n
Bitstamp said \"less than 19,000\" BTC were stolen in the raid, which led to a temporary trading halt at the exchange. <\/p>\n
The value of the stolen Bitcoin is estimated at A$6.2 million. If the exchange rate continues to drop it could become less than that, as the unknown hackers attempt to swap their Bitcoin for conventional currency. <\/p>\n
The digital currency spiked in value in November and December 2014, hitting exchange rates of over US$1100 (A$1356) per Bitcoin. <\/p>\n
Since then, Bitcoin value has slid from around US$800-900 a year ago to just US$271,according to the Winklevoss' brothers Winkdex index. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
While the Bitstamp raid is sizeable, by comparison it dwarfs the amount of Bitcoin that disappeared from what was the world's largest exchange, MtGox in Tokyo, Japan. <\/p>\n
Around 850,000 BTC went astray at MtGox last year. <\/p>\n
Although the disappearance of the Bitcoin at MtGox was first blamed on a large scale hack, a Japanese police investigation this month found that merely one percent of BTC were stolen by outsiders, Yomiori Shimbun reported. <\/p>\n
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The rest is here:<\/p>\n
Bitcoin value continues to decline<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Digital currency Bitcoin has started 2015 on a downward value trajectory, with the currency worth less than a third of what it was a year ago. The depressed value of Bitcoin follows the hackof the world's third-busiest exchange for the crypto currency, Bitstamp, earlier this month Continue reading