Bitcoin hits record above US$71,000 as demand frenzy intensifies
- Bitcoin rose by as much as 4.8 per cent to a record US$71,677 in European trading, bringing gains for the year so far to 70 per cent
- The world’s most valuable cryptocurrency has been boosted by a flood of cash into new spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds and hopes that the US Fed will soon cut rates
Bitcoin hit a record high on Monday above US$71,000, as the surge in the biggest cryptocurrency showed no signs of slowing down.
Britain’s financial watchdog on Monday became the latest regulator to pave the way for digital asset trading products after saying on Monday it will now permit recognised investment exchanges to launch crypto-backed exchange-traded notes.
Flows of capital into the 10 largest US spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds slowed to a two-week low in the week to March 8, but still reached almost US$2 billion, according to LSEG data.
“Bitcoin has started the week with a surge, dragging the rest of the cryptocurrency space higher with it,” DailyFX strategist Nick Cawley said.
Supply of bitcoin, which is limited to 21 million tokens, is going to get tighter in April, when the so-called halving event takes place.
Every four years, the rate at which new supply is released into circulation, as well as the reward for crypto miners, is halved, which tends to support the price.
Chinese social media all agog as bitcoin prices continue to surge
“News also out earlier that the LSE plans to accept applications for bitcoin and ethereum ETNs in Q2 may have also helped today’s push higher,” Cawley said.
The UK regulator said these products would be only available for professional investors such as investment firms and credit institutions authorised to operate in financial markets, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said in a statement.
The FCA warned crypto exchange traded notes (ETNs) – bonds issued by financial institutions that track the performance of underlying assets – pose harm to retail investors.
Nonetheless, demand is picking up across the investment community.
Asset managers now hold the biggest bullish position in bitcoin futures on record, according to weekly data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
In the week to March 5, the net long position held by asset managers – usually interpreted as covering holdings of institutional investors such as mutual funds and pension funds – rose to 15,531 lots, worth US$5.5 billion based on the current bitcoin price.
This is more valuable than the long position asset managers hold in sterling, worth US$2.78 billion or the bearish position they hold in the Japanese yen against the dollar, worth US$1.49 billion, according to LSEG data.
Ether rose 2.1 per cent to nudge US$4,000, around its highest for two years. Speculation that US regulators may approve the listing of spot ether ETFs this year has driven the price up 75 per cent this year.
