• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceEther

Major losses in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and altcoins erase nearly $400 billion in market value

By
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 7, 2021, 5:22 PM ET
View of a barbershop that accepts Bitcoin in San Salvador on Sept. 1, 2021.
View of a barbershop that accepts Bitcoin in San Salvador on Sept. 1, 2021. Photo by MARVIN RECINOS / AFP Photo by MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images

Bitcoin and Ethereum—along with several altcoins—plummeted Tuesday, erasing nearly $400 billion in market value and all of last week’s gains.

The total value of the world’s cryptocurrencies fell to about $1.9 trillion Tuesday morning, marking a loss of $410 billion over the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap.

On the same day El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender, the cryptocurrency led the price retreat, falling 11% to a low of about $43,000, the biggest drop since mid-June. The fall comes despite some proponents on Reddit attempting to organize a movement of Bitcoin purchases to support El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption.

The retreat comes as El Salvador’s government reported issues with its state-sponsored crypto wallet, Chivo, ahead of the country’s Bitcoin adoption at 3 p.m. EST. The government said it was working to solve the technical glitches by Tuesday afternoon.

Following Bitcoin’s decline Tuesday, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced that the country purchased an additional 150 Bitcoins, and now holds 550 of the coins, about $25 million worth of crypto.

Ether also experienced a decline of nearly 12%, erasing gains that pushed the cryptocurrency past the closely watched $4,000 mark last week.

Altcoins, or crypto alternatives to Bitcoin and Ether, also fell Tuesday, with well-known coins such as Cardano’s ADA, Binance Coin, and Dogecoin dropping more than 10%.

One of the only cryptocurrencies to experience gains Tuesday was Solana’s Sol coin, which jumped 40% in 24 hours to a record of about $195, before slightly retreating.

Following a major drop in the morning, most coins pared losses in the early afternoon. Still, about $3 billion in crypto long positions were liquidated Tuesday, according to BlockWorks.

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

take off
InvestingMarkets
Why you shouldn’t worry about AI eating the stock market, top analyst says. The U.S. economy is ‘about to take off’
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago
A sign outside of a home with Guthrie’s name on it
CryptoCryptocurrency
Nancy Guthrie’s family faces $6 million Bitcoin ransom demand for 5 p.m. ET: How such a payment would take place
By Carlos GarciaFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago
Cheerful young man
SuccessWealth
Billionaire Jenny Just says she could have saved ‘10 years of losses’ if she had learned this skill sooner from playing poker
By Preston ForeFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago
Real EstateHousing
JPMorgan’s nationwide home price forecast hides a Sunbelt full of pain. Watch out, Florida and Texas
By Jason MaFebruary 9, 2026
3 hours ago
kiara
AIstart-ups
Exclusive: Peter Thiel–backed industrial AI startup emerges from stealth in a16z ‘American Dynamism’ push
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 9, 2026
4 hours ago
Real EstateHousing
Which class of mortgage holder are you? Only 20% are in the elite pre-2022 camp
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 9, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk warns the U.S. is '1,000% going to go bankrupt' unless AI and robotics save the economy from crushing debt
By Jason MaFebruary 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Russian officials are warning Putin that a financial crisis could arrive this summer, report says, while his war on Ukraine becomes too big to fail
By Jason MaFebruary 8, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
America marks its 250th birthday with a fading dream—the first time that younger generations will make less than their parents
By Mark Robert Rank and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
China might be beginning to back away from U.S. debt as investors get nervous about overexposure to American assets
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 9, 2026
9 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
We studied 70 countries' economic data for the last 60 years and something big about market crashes changed 25 years ago
By Josh Ederington, Jenny Minier and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Gen Z Patriots quarterback Drake Maye still drives a 2015 pickup truck even after it broke down on the highway—despite his $37 million contract
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 7, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.