Bitcoin markets took a sharp dive after the SEC announcement, losing 15 percent of its price value in a matter of minutes. During the day the price had climbed to a new all-time high for a short period as people waited for the decision from the U.S. regulatory agency. However, as soon as the decision was made the decline started creating significant volatility and slow exchanges. The bitcoin exchange Coinbase suffered from an outage during the event but camed back online shortly after the initial price drop.

Most of the bitcoin community across forums and social media seemed to brush the news off quickly. Some even welcomed the rejection with open arms saying they didn't want the ETF approved.

Many bitcoin proponents said the price was expected to be volatile following the announcement either way. "The markets are digesting the information at the moment – we expect continued volatility and high volume," explains the cryptocurrency data website Crypto Compare founder Charles Hayter, detailing his opinion of the situation;

"The SEC does not like Bitcoin being unchained from all regulation, and this move is, in essence, a form of consumer protection," Hayter explained.