⸺ Obituary · February 14, 2019 ⸺

“JPMorgan Just Killed The Bitcoin Dream”

Barrons

Ben Walsh

“But that dream is now effectively dead, and blockchain is now fully into its boring phase. The latest and most telling evidence of this arrived this morning, when JPMorgan (JPM) said it had developed and tested a prototype of a digital coin.”

Price at death

$3,593

Today

$61,577

Resurrection

×17.1

On 2019-02-14, Ben Walsh (Reporter, Barrons) declared Bitcoin dead via Barrons. Bitcoin was trading at ~$3,593 at the time. The call joins the growing canon of premature obituaries.

The declaration was catalogued on February 14, 2019, when one Bitcoin traded for approximately $3,593. Since then, Bitcoin has appreciated by 17.1× relative to the price on the day Barrons pronounced it finished.

Read the original →

← Earlier death

“Bitcoin Inefficient As Large-scale Payment System”

Later death →

“Bitcoin Has No Unique Value At All”

⸺ Also in this category ⸺

More from the financial press

Jun 16, 2026financial press

“A Worthless Digital Asset”

On 2026-06-16, with Bitcoin in the mid-$60,000s and well off its cycle high, perennial gold bug Peter Schiff went on Fox Business to call it 'a worthless digital asset' whose bubble had burst — arguing buyers were merely betting a greater fool would pay more, with no genuine long-term value. It was Schiff's umpteenth Bitcoin obituary since 2011; two weeks later he doubled down, warning a 'death spiral' could drag BTC under $20,000. Bitcoin has risen more than 4,000-fold since his first recorded death call.

Jun 10, 2026financial press

“Bitcoin Is Bad Money”

On 2026-06-10, six days after declaring 'Saylor murdered Bitcoin,' CNBC's Jim Cramer wrote off BTC again on X — branding Bitcoin and gold 'bad money' being dumped to chase SpaceX and megacap tech. Coming mid-rout, it read as capitulation. But traders noted the irony: the 'Inverse Cramer' trade has a long history — his 2017 'monopoly money' jibe and January 2024 selloff warning both preceded major rallies.

Jun 4, 2026financial press

“Saylor Murdered Bitcoin”

On 2026-06-04, with Bitcoin sliding toward $64,000 in its worst week since the FTX collapse, CNBC's Jim Cramer declared 'Saylor murdered Bitcoin' on X — pinning the rout on Strategy's first sale in four years and conceding he might rethink his pro-BTC stance now that its biggest 'trampoline' had stopped buying. Michael Saylor fired back: 'It's just a flesh wound, Jim.' A Monty Python retort to a murder charge — the obituary genre at its most theatrical.

Buy Bitcoin in 60 seconds. US-regulated.

Open account →

Kraken

Lowest fees. Used by institutions.

Start trading →