Traders may be manipulating the price of digital currencies, including bitcoin.
Bloomberg reported that the Justice Department has
launched a criminal probe to determine whether traders
are engaging in illegal practices, such as spoofing and wash trading.
In spoofing, cheaters flood the market with fake orders
to trick other traders into believing values are greater or lesser than they really are.
This can lead to misinformed buying or selling,
artificially influencing prices. Once the desired result is achieved,
the cheater cancels his orders.
In wash trading, cheaters will trade with themselves to create
the impression of market demand, enticing other traders to get in on the action.
CHEERS