Bitcoin steadies near $77,210 while ether underperforms

Bitcoin traded near $77,210, down about 1 percent over the previous 24 hours, while ether fell more sharply to $2,426.24, a drop of roughly 3.3 percent. The slide extends a comedown from Friday's high above $79,000, bitcoin's strongest level since May, and from Saturday's leverage-driven reversal that erased tens of billions of dollars in market value within minutes.

Trading volumes were thinner than during the week, typical of weekend markets, and Sunday's price moves were modest by comparison with the sharp swings of the two sessions before it. Ether continued to underperform bitcoin, a pattern that has persisted through the week's volatility.

Weekend trading is thin enough that one large order can move prices further than it would on a weekday, making Sunday's calm an unreliable guide to direction.