LONDON: Bitcoin s wild ride this week is far from unusual for the largest crypto token - but the rollercoaster is also its inherent contradiction. Speculators betting for years on bitcoin becoming a stateless digital currency that s widely used for online retail and payments are largely responsible for its parabolic price rises. But they also seed the sort of blinding volatility that makes that ambition almost untenable. Bitcoin s 30 per cent plunge on Tuesday after another Chinese government crackdown is not unique. Daily moves of more than 20 per cent have been frequent during the past 6 years. At almost 4.5 per cent, median daily price swings over that time period are more than 6 times that of the main Transatlantic euro/dollar exchange rate.