New York (AP) – Bitcoin is currently going through another phase. The largest cryptocurrency in the world increased in value last week to roughly $35,000, its highest level in nearly 18 months and more than double what it was at the beginning of 2023.
As per FactSet, in November 2021, at the start of the epidemic, bitcoin saw an increase from $5,000 to approximately $68,000, during a period of significant technological advancement. Prices fell back to the ground as a result of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes during the fall of FTX, coupled with inflation struggles.
After losing more than 75% of its value, a bitcoin could be bought for less than $17,000 by the start of 2023. But once the currency levelled off, a lot of investors came back this year. Furthermore, as a result of avoiding the riskier bets made by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and others, the failure of major banks with a focus on technology actually pushed more investors to resort to cryptocurrency.
There is currently an additional increase in the likelihood that Bitcoin will attract a sizable investor base. Proponents of the industry claim that purchasing Bitcoin at the present price rather than one that is higher than promised will facilitate entry into the cryptocurrency space while lowering some of the well-known hazards.
There’s increasing hope that a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, or ETF, will be introduced. ETFs are pooled financial securities that can be purchased and sold much like stocks.
Although federal regulators have not yet given their approval, certain cryptocurrency fund managers’ bids for a Bitcoin spot ETF have enhanced their chances of being approved in the upcoming months following a recent victory.
Grayscale filed a lawsuit against regulators last year to have its application for an exchange-traded fund (ETF) dismissed due to concerns about investor protection and other issues. However, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals recently ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission to reconsider its rejection of Grayscale’s Bitcoin fund for an ETF. The ruling was not appealed by the SEC.
Senior market analyst at Oanda Edward Moya also highlights BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust listing by depository trust and clearing corporation, which facilitates the clearing of the market’s activities and garnered internet attention on Monday. It might have contributed to the bitcoin increase this week, he suggested.
The IShares Bitcoin Trust appeared to have been taken offline on Tuesday but returned online on Wednesday. Both current and potential ETF members are included in this list, a DTC representative said in a statement provided to the Associated Press. According to the spokeswoman, iShares was introduced in August.
According to Moya and others, false information and social media rubbish can significantly affect cryptocurrency trade. Kaiko Research noted a small spike in the price of Bitcoin last week, following the announcement by cryptocurrency news site CoinTelegraph that the SEC had approved iShares’ spot Bitcoin ETF (formerly known as Twitter). That post was quickly removed.
However, according to Riyadh Kerry, a research analyst at Kaiko, the recent spike in Bitcoin is due to “a more comprehensive market rally” rather than just certain events or players. Kerry attributes this to the possibility of a spot Bitcoin ETF.