There are a number of factors that could be contributing to this perennial cycle of volatility. Here are a few:

THE HOLIDAYS

It has been postulated that the Chinese Lunar New Year could be a contributing factor in the market’s decline. The logic goes that Chinese investors are cashing in on their investments in order to travel and bestow gifts upon their relatives. Considering Asia’s influence over the crypto markets in the past, this is a reasonable assumption – but unlikely to be the predominant catalyst.

TAXES

For investors who have seen significant growth in 2017, but don’t want to pay taxes on it until 2019, delaying any transactions until the calendar rolls forward could be a motivator. Granted, the tax jungle is an easy place to get lost for a crypto investor, and this strategy wouldn’t work in every case, but there are enough scenarios where this would be an effective way of delaying the inevitable that this is likely to play a role in market volatility.

Interestingly enough, these two factors might also explain why the market tends to swell in February and March each year.

The same investors who are pulling their profits to give to family are also the most likely to encourage their family to invest the contents of their little red envelope back in to crypto. And for every tax payment, there is a tax refund.

FEAR, UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT

This year’s dip is also being fueled by rumors and wondering about the future of crypto in Asia. From South Korea’s flip-flop on banning it, to China’s latest tightening of the regulatory vice grip, the seasonal and circumstantial factors have aligned to produce a maelstrom of uncertainty that continues to drain the market.

But whenever the current ebb starts to make you nervous, just remember that there is a flow coming.

For those who have not lived through this sort of volatility, it’s easy to think that crypto is dead, their investment is gone, and it’s time to move on. For the rest of us who have weathered these storms before, this is just another January.