Bitcoin hovers near all-time peak

BITCOIN is sustaining a record-breaking run, lifted by the unprecedented amounts of capital flowing into crypto products as well as a looming reduction in the digital token’s supply growth.

The original cryptocurrency reached an all-time peak of almost US$72 881 on Monday and was trading at $US72 165 as of 11:25 a.m. in Singapore yesterday. A record US$2,7 billion flowed into crypto assets last week, according to a report from CoinShares international, with the bulk of that going to Bitcoin. Both the token and a gauge of the largest 100 coins are up roughly 70 percent this year.

The success of spot Bitcoin exchangetraded funds launched in the US on January 11 is a key driver of recent momentum. The ETFs from the likes of BlackRock Inc and Fidelity Investments have attracted a net inflow of about $9,5 billion so far. In the UK, the London Stock Exchange said it would accept applications for Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded notes, while Thailand’s securities regular signalled that it would open overseas crypto ETFs to retail buyers.

“We are seeing institutional adoption in the US,” Ophelia Snyder, 21Shares’ co-founder and president, said on Bloomberg Television. “It’s quite early still. Not all of the institutions, not all of the wire houses, have access to it.”

The structure of the Bitcoin market is changing as they enter the fray, for instance a greater focus on US trading hours, she added.

Some commentators are flagging the possibility of further gains. Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG Australia Pty, wrote in a note that Bitcoin “is expected to be well-supported on dips by those looking to position for a push toward US$80 000 in the months ahead.” Fairlead Strategies LLC technical analyst Katie Stockton also suggested US$80 000 is within reach in the medium term.

Bitcoin’s rally is creating roughly 1 500 new “millionaire wallets” daily, according to crypto analytics firm Kaiko Research