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El-Erian on why Elon Musk tweets have ‘shaken’ the bitcoin dynamic

The prominent economic adviser says bitcoin has become ‘more volatile and more sensitive’ to Musk, who was once one of crypto's most vocal backers

Mohamed El-Erian, former chief executive officer of PIMCO, has himself previously bought and sold bitcoin
Mohamed El-Erian, former chief executive officer of PIMCO, has himself previously bought and sold bitcoin Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser to Allianz, says the recent slump in bitcoin’s price is a sign that the cryptocurrency has become “more volatile and more sensitive” to tweets posted by Elon Musk, the Tesla boss whose company has a large holding in the cryptocurrency.

El-Erian said that three main groups of holders have pushed up the price of bitcoin over the past five months: those that believe it will evolve into a global currency; those who see it being accepted in the private sector as a form of payment; and short-term speculators.

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