Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin Decreased 3% This Week

This weekly update tracks some of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share: Bitcoin and Ether. While both are considered high-risk assets, they possess foundational differences that investors should understand. We have also included XRP, as it was one of the largest cryptocurrencies when this series began. By definition, a cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to secure its transactions, control the creation of additional units, and verify the transfer of assets.

Key Takeaways

• Bitcoin was down 3% this week as of September 29.
• Ether was down 3% this week, while XRP was flat.
• Bitcoin is down approximately 4% year-to-date, while Ether has fallen roughly 10% year-to-date.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin was the world’s first decentralized digital currency. Since the first Bitcoin transaction occurred in early 2009, it has grown worldwide to a mainstream financial asset. While often volatile, as illustrated in the chart below, one can argue that the Bitcoin is highly resilient, especially as product innovation expands the ways investors can manage Bitcoin’s volatility.

Bitcoin’s closing price was down 1.5% this week although it has experienced a broader rebound. BTC is currently down approximately 12% year-to-date and sits about 38% below its October 2025 record high.