Bitcoin hits new record high above $6,000

Bitcoin rose above $6,000 yesterday, less than a fortnight after the so-called digital currency passed $5,000 for the first time.

The cryptocurrency, which allows anonymous transactions online, has risen 50pc in the past month, fuelling warnings about a price bubble. Blackrock’s chief executive Larry Fink last week called bitcoin an “index of money laundering”. The price of one bitcoin has risen 819pc, from $630, so far this year.