Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Bitcoin surges above $15,000 and is closing in on record

Bitcoin surges above $15,000 and is closing in on record

Bitcoin soared more than 7% Thursday and was trading above $15,000 — its highest level in nearly three years — as mainstream interest in the cryptocurrency builds and the US dollar weakens.

The value of one bitcoin has more than doubled in 2020. The gains have been particularly dramatic in the past few weeks, with bitcoin rising 40% since early October.

If bitcoin continues to surge, it may not be long before the cryptocurrency finally tops the all-time high of just under $20,000, reached in December 2017.

In addition to the dollar weakening, bitcoin has benefited from more mainstream companies like PayPal (PYPL)and Square (SQ) embracing cryptocurrencies as a viable payments options and investments.

"Nothing is stopping it from going to the 2017 high," said Bill Noble, chief technical analyst with research firm Token Metrics, in an email to CNN Business.

"Everybody is afraid to miss out, and that drives the price."

Lingering uncertainty about the outcome of the presidential election may also be fueling the recent bitcoin spike, Noble added. Investors may be fleeing the dollar and buying bitcoin.

The US Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback versus the euro, yen and several other major currencies, is down about 1.5% so far this week.

Inflation hedge and beneficiary of weaker dollar


Bitcoin, along with gold, may remain momentum bets for investors looking to take advantage of continued dollar weakness. Gold prices, which hit a record high above $2,000 an ounce earlier this year, are up about 30% in 2020.

"The bitcoin and gold rally has been happening all year along with dollar weakness. It's a longer-term trend," said Jeff Mortimer, director of investment strategy for BNY Mellon Wealth Management, in an interview.

With all this in mind, Alex Mashinsky, CEO of cryptocurrency lending firm Celsius Network, is even more bullish on bitcoin.

"Not only is $15,000 going to happen, but I stand by my predictions from the beginning of the year that [bitcoin] will see all new highs before 2021," Mashinsky said in an e-mail.

The rise in bitcoin this year is all the more remarkable when you consider that prices plunged below $5,000 in mid-March during the height of Covid-19 pandemic worries in mid-March.

"Bitcoin comes out stronger after each challenge," said Michael Sonnenshein, managing director of Grayscale Investments, a digital currency asset management firm. "People are looking at bitcoin as a store of value and inflation hedge."

Coronavirus is only making bitcoin even more popular as an investment option.

According to a survey of 1,000 US consumers during the summer by a market research firm on behalf of Grayscale, nearly 40% said that the Covid-19 crisis made bitcoin more appealing as an investment.

Sonnenshein said the realization that bitcoin is probably better as an investment than as an actual form of payment is key to its continued success.

"There used to be a prevalent narrative that because bitcoin is not something you'd go to the store to buy a latte with, it's failed. That's no longer the case," Sonnenshein said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×