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March 12, 2020 · Market Crash

COVID-19 Market Crash

The pandemic selloff that tested Bitcoin's "digital gold" thesis

Crypto Fear & Greed

14

Extreme Fear

Source: Alternative.me, March 12, 2020

Bitcoin price

$3,800

30-day change

+85%

Higher 30 days later

What happened

On March 12, 2020, "Black Thursday", Bitcoin crashed from $7,900 to $3,800 in a single day as global markets panicked over COVID-19. The crash shattered the "digital gold" and "uncorrelated asset" narratives, as Bitcoin moved in lockstep with risk assets during the liquidity crisis. However, what followed became one of the most powerful counter-narratives in Bitcoin history: the subsequent money printing, stimulus checks, and zero-interest-rate policy drove Bitcoin from $3,800 to $69,000 over the next two years, ultimately strengthening the "inflation hedge" narrative.

Key narratives

  • Liquidity crisis
  • Correlated selloff
  • Money printer narrative

About the score

The score is the daily value of the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, Alternative.me, a composite of market and attention data. Perception’s own media-based reading for the same day is in the daily sentiment archive for March 12, 2020.

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