Bitcoin sees bear-market skid — living up to its reputation for seismic price swings MarketWatch 1/11/2021 CRYPTOS Bitcoin prices entered bear-market territory over the weekend, typically defined as a decline from a recent peak of at least 20%. Stop us if you’ve heard this story before. The notoriously volatile asset, which has a record of massive downside slumps following a stratospheric run-up, touched a low of nearly 28% beneath its record high of $41,962.36 on Monday, based on CoinDesk. Bitcoin technically entered a bear market on Sunday and extended its slide early Monday before stabilizing somewhat. For new investors in the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, a decline of that magnitude would likely represent a brutal hit to their digital-asset portfolio.