Cryptocurrencies are an alternative to traditional money. Today, some outlets accept cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. However, they bear little resemblance to other asset classes because they are intangible and extremely volatile. They are mainly used by traders for speculating on rises and falls in value.
“Where digital assets land, at the end of the day … will be driven in part by regulation, both domestic and international,” Former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton recently told CNBC.

"For any centralized service, we have to do [client verification] and hold customer data," Zhao said. "On top of that we have to hold customer assets. Unlike banks, when the assets get stolen it's difficult to get them back. There's a high responsibility on the centralized exchanges we need to carry out well."
Although short term relationships are erratic and sparse, this is the period band that contains most of the negative—although usually fleeting—relationships (shown by leftward facing arrows). The relationships link online activity increases to price falls (the converse is not observed). It is not surprising that occasionally discussion is associated with price falls, as negative events (e.g. blockchain bugs, and exchange hacks) are newsworthy in the community.