Bitcoin plunges to its lowest level in six months

Bitcoin tumbled nearly 9 percent on Monday to a six-month low, as fears of a Russian attack on Ukraine kept selling risky assets at a rapid pace around the world.

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, fell 8.8 percent to $ 33,058, its lowest level since July 23, to suffer losses of more than 50 percent since falling from an all-time high of $ 69,000 last November.

The US State Department said on Sunday it had ordered the departure of family members of its embassy staff in Ukraine, in one of the clearest indications yet that US officials are preparing for aggressive Russian action in the region.

Fears of conflict sent stocks down around the world while the dollar and oil prices soared.

Smaller cryptocurrencies that usually rise and fall with Bitcoin also fell. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, fell 13 percent to $2,202, its lowest since July 27. Binance Coin, the fourth largest digital currency, fell 12 percent.