There are hundreds of cryptocurrency exchanges already, and dozens based in the U.S. Trade volume on Binance is currently $1.2 billion compared to $660 million on Coinbase Pro, $355 million on Kraken, $75 million on Gemini and $47 million on Poloniex, according to CoinMarketCap as of publication. About 20 percent of traffic to Binance.com comes from the U.S., according to research from The Block.
In 2016, this became apparent with the DAO hack. One way to fix the problem was to implement what’s known as a “hard fork,” which would essentially update the Ethereum-based software to fix the technical gaffe that caused the hack to begin with. But DAO users had to agree to this change, and there were dissenters. Though the hard fork was approved, it created two active blockchains with two different sets of rules. Ultimately, this hack–coupled with the inability to deal with it–caused the DAO to end in 2016.

It’s important to read the details on your chosen trading platform to ensure you understand the level at which price movements will be measured before you place a trade.
Meanwhile, there has been plenty of speculation that bitcoin’s big rise may have been due to a pump-and-dump scheme. One theory that the U.S. Justice Department is reportedly looking into is that the digital coin Tether (which is supposedly pegged to the U.S. dollar to make for a less volatile cryptocurrency) was used to manipulate the bitcoin market and cause a large run-up in price. This theory stems from an academic paper, which cast Tether in a very damning light. And it also led many to believe that the initial bitcoin craze was manufactured and destined to bust.