The price of a bitcoin has fallen below $20,000 (£16,400) amid deepening turmoil in the cryptocurrency market. The cornerstone digital asset slipped to levels not seen since December 2020 on Saturday morning, at one point going under $19,000 before recovering to about $19,160, according to CoinDesk. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been hit by several factors including rising inflation, which has prompted interest rate rises by central banks. This, in turn, has dampened investor appetite for riskier assets such as cryptocurrencies and has hit global stock markets, with the previously high-flying tech sector affected in particular.