The largest digital currency edged 0.5 percent higher to $3,272 at 9:35 a.m. in Hong Kong after earlier tumbling as much as 6 percent in U.S. hours, according to consolidated pricing compiled by Bloomberg. It remains down about 3 percent for the week. The wider Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index is on a five-week losing streak.
Cryptocurrencies have wiped out $730 billion in market value from a January peak this year, according to data compiled by CoinMarketCap.com. Widespread mainstream institutional adoption failed to materialize amid ongoing security concerns and regulatory roadblocks.
A wave of bomb threats demanding Bitcoin spread across the U.S. and Canada Thursday, including New York, Toronto and other major cities. Security researcher KrebsonSecurity posted a copy of the email on its website — the apparent scammers requested payment of $20,000 in Bitcoin. New York City's police department said the threats were not deemed credible.
