But, why do individuals mine cryptocurrency? The most obvious answer is that some people seek a second source of income and others want more financial freedom without the interference of governments or banks. For instance, crypto miners verify the legitimacy of transactions in exchange for Bitcoin as a reward for their efforts.
Investing in cryptocurrency can be as easy as a few taps on your phone, and with crypto all over the news and coming up in conversations with friends, it’s tempting to dive right in. However, depending on your financial situation and appetite for investing risk, crypto might not be an appropriate investment for you right now — or ever.

Jegadeesh, N. and S. Titman (1993), “Returns to buying winners and selling losers: Implications for stock market efficiency”, The Journal of Finance 48 (1), 65–91.
Mistakes like this happen throughout finance when, for instance, traders mess up details of their intended trades, entering the wrong price or order size. An erroneously large trade, as one example, can overwhelm an exchange's order book, leading to a quick and massive decline. The entire U.S. stock market famously flash crashed back in May 2010, though equities have mostly avoided trouble since that era.