Bitcoin briefly drops 15% in rocky weekend amid controversy over digital currency's future

Bitcoin drops almost $1,000 in less than 24 hours, while its offshoot bitcoin cash also loses half its value after soaring to a record high.

• The high volatility reflects disagreement among developers about which iteration will be the primary version of bitcoin.
• However, the world's largest futures exchange plans to launch bitcoin futures by the end of the year, potentially allowing traders to protect themselves from major losses amid bitcoin's price swings.

High volatility isn't going away for bitcoin, raising questions about whether the digital currency can be a sustainable investment asset.Late Saturday, the crypto-currency plunged 15 percent from nearly $6,500 to a low of $5,507, before intermittently shooting back up to near $6,400, according to CoinDesk. Bitcoin last traded near $6,060, down about 4 percent on the day.Trading in a U.S. stock index is typically halted after such an extreme drop, not to mention repeated swings higher or lower. However, more than 120 "cryptofunds" have emerged to invest in bitcoin, other digital currencies and related business projects, according to financial research firm Autonomous Next.