Bitcoin frenzy settles down as big players enter market

After bouncing up, falling down and keeping investors on the edges of their seats, bitcoin may be maturing into a period of relatively boring stability, experts say.

A worldwide wave of regulation has led to a collapse in trading volumes. 

Cryptocurrency advertisements are disappearing from top internet pages, and bitcoin no longer dominates Google searches.

As investors try to figure out what bitcoin wants to be when it grows up, the best-known cryptocurrency is going through somewhat of an existential crisis.

Bitcoin rallied 25% in April after crashing 70% from a high near $20,000 late last year. 

The cryptocurrency landscape has indeed changed. 

“Mom-and-pop investors” who drove bitcoin’s skyrocket rise in 2017 have been pushed aside by government bans on trading, and replaced by cryptocurrency funds, wealthy individuals and established financial firms. 

The bigger players can make bigger moves, but their trades are often obscured by screens on over-the-counter (OTC)…