The price of Bitcoin moved from $$100$ to $$1,000$ during $2013,$ jumped to $$4,000$ during the summer of $2017,$ and shot up to $$13,000$ by the end of $2017.$ The next dramatic price increase occurred in March $2021,$ when the price per Bitcoin approached $$59,000.$Research market and economic indicators to identify potential factors other than Musk$-$Tweets that may have contributed to the volatility in Bitcoin prices and report your findings.

Apply Cressey$$s Fraud Triangle to explain Elon Musk$$s motivation, opportunity, and rationalization for potentially attempting to influence Bitcoin prices using social media.

To what extent do you hold Musk responsible for attempting to manipulate a currency market? Be specific and state whether you believe Musk violated any SEC rules.

Did Elon Musk commit fraud? Explain the process used to make this determination.