Markets

Bitcoin jumps to all-time high as cryptocurrency fever continues

Bloomberg Bloomberg | Updated on February 17, 2021

Rises 4.8 per cent to about $50,927, according to a composite of prices compiled by Bloomberg

Bitcoin jumped again on Wednesday to set another all-time high after breaching $50,000 for the first time a day earlier.

The largest cryptocurrency rose as much as 4.8 per cent to about $50,927, according to a composite of prices compiled by Bloomberg. The token is up more than five-fold in the past year.

Bitcoin’s rally for some is emblematic of speculative froth in financial markets awash with stimulus. The crypto faithful counter that the digital asset is grabbing more mainstream attention, especially after Tesla Inc.’s recent $1.5 billion purchase. MicroStrategy Inc. said Tuesday it would sell $600 million of convertible bonds and use the proceeds to buy more of the tokens.

MicroStrategy’s step is “a warning sign if there ever was one that things are getting out of hand in the crypto world,” Jeffrey Halley, a senior market analyst at Oanda Asia Pacific Pte, wrote in emailed comments.

Others take a different view, contending that demand from institutional investors and companies is set to expand, driving further gains.

“There are a number of reasons why Bitcoin is soaring, but what stands out most is the trend that MicroStrategy started and Tesla popularised: moving institutional balance sheets into Bitcoin to hedge against inflation,” said Nicholas Pelecanos, head of trading at NEM.

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Published on February 17, 2021
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