Elon Musk tweets broken-heart emoji for token, Bitcoin slides by 5.4%

Bitcoin slid after a cryptic tweet from Elon Musk apparently hinting at a potential split with the largest cryptocurrency, the latest post from the billionaire to buffet the token’s price.

The coin dropped as much as 5.4% and was trading at about $36,980 as of 7:05 a.m. in London. The decline dented this week’s stabilisation in the crypto sector after a rout in May. The Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index retreated as much as 5.7%.

Musk has roiled Bitcoin and other digital tokens with a string of social media posts. Most notably, the tycoon last month reversed a decision to allow purchases of Tesla electric vehicles with Bitcoin, citing the environmental fallout of the energy required by the servers underpinning the cryptocurrency.