It's been a bad few days for bitcoin, the digital currency whose value rivaled gold at one point not long ago.
Multiple exchanges suspended withdrawals of bitcoins last week amid security problems, calling into question its viability.
(Read more: Exchange to resume withdrawals)
Source: Coinbase
According to the digital wallet Coinbase, bitcoin transactions plunged as those sites closed their virtual teller windows.
Transactions peaked at more than 98,000 per day in late November; by Monday the number was closer to 28,000.
With the instability has come a sharp drop in prices too. In late November a bitcoin was quoted at $1,124; by Tuesday morning the quote price was closer to $638.
