Hunter Biden's LAPTOP Meme Coin Crashes 99% Within an Hour of Launch

A brand-new digital coin called LAPTOP launched on Wednesday — and almost instantly crashed by 99%. It's the latest example of how risky "meme coins" can be for everyday buyers.

First, let's break down some terms. A meme coin is a type of cryptocurrency (digital money) created for fun, hype, or a joke, rather than for any real business use. LAPTOP was named after the controversial Hunter Biden laptop story from the 2020 U.S. election.

The coin launched at 8am ET and shot up fast — then dropped like a stone.

Here's what happened, by the numbers:

• Peaked at $190.81 just two minutes after launch
• Crashed to as low as $3.70 within the same hour
• Down nearly 99% from its high
• By afternoon it traded around $1.97

Why did it collapse so quickly? The coin had a huge valuation (its theoretical total value on paper) of $144 billion, but only $48,000 in the "liquidity pool" — that's the actual money available for people to buy and sell with. When the paper value is enormous but the real cash is tiny, the price crashes the moment early buyers sell.

Timing was everything. One trader turned about $249,800 into roughly $1.18 million by selling within minutes. Another spent about $200,000 and was left with under $3,000 an hour later. The difference came down to seconds.

This is a very common pattern called a "pump and dump" — the price is pumped up by bots and fast buyers, then dumped by those taking profits, leaving latecomers with losses.

LAPTOP isn't unique. Similar political meme coins tell the same story:

• TRUMP token fell about 97% from its peak, with holders losing an estimated $3.81 billion
• Melania Trump's coin crashed more than 99%

The takeaway for beginners: Celebrity and political meme coins may attract fast buyers, but they very often crash hard. Investor Mark Cuban has warned that every meme coin is "a rug pull in the works." These are extremely high-risk, speculative bets — not investments.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://decrypt.co/377783/hunter-biden-laptop-meme-coin-crashes