For the first time since November 2021, the price of Bitcoin has surged past $60,000, setting new record highs in local currencies across numerous global markets.

The Bitcoin price rose to $63,968 on Wednesday before falling back to around $60,000. At the time of writing, it stood at $61,463, marking an increase of more than 39% year to date.

The currency has reached new peaks in various places in local terms, including in financially robust countries such as China, Japan, the U.K., and India, as well as emerging markets like Argentina, Turkey, and Egypt.

The swift rise has rekindled memories of the cryptocurrency bull market, which pushed the token to its all-time high of nearly $69,000 in November 2021, as investors rushed in, driven by the fear of “missing out” on potential further increases in price.

Some investors posted on social media about the rapid increase, celebrating the sudden surge.

One anonymous analyst said that, “Bull market has started. If history is any guide, we will see ~10 months of face-melting [fear of missing out] FOMO: extreme price pumps combined with multiple -30% drops.”

Bitcoin ETFs make history

Last month, U.S. authorities gave the green light for the introduction of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by prominent asset managers such as BlackRock and Invesco, setting the stage for a surge of fresh investment from individuals aiming to speculate on the cryptocurrency via a regulated framework.

Investors should remain cautious about the myriad risks associated with Bitcoin and products whose value is tied to crypto,” stated Gary Gensler, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman.

According to K33 Research as cited by the Financial Times, the 11 funds currently possess 303,000 bitcoins, valued at $18 billion, which corresponds to approximately 1.5% of the total bitcoin supply. Today (1st March), BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF reached a record $10 billion in assets under management, reportedly marking the quickest time an ETF has achieved this milestone, in just 37 trading days.

Featured image: DALL·E / Canva

Suswati Basu

Freelance journalist

Suswati Basu is a multilingual, award-winning editor and the founder of the intersectional literature channel, How To Be Books. She was shortlisted for the Guardian Mary Stott Prize and longlisted for the Guardian International Development Journalism Award.

With 18 years of experience in the media industry, Suswati has held significant roles such as head of audience and deputy editor for NationalWorld news, digital editor for Channel 4 News
and ITV News. She has also contributed to the Guardian and received training at the BBC As an audience, trends, and SEO specialist, she has participated in panel events alongside Google.

Her career also includes a seven-year tenure at the leading AI company Dataminr, where she led the Europe desk and launched the company’s first employee resource group for disabilities. Before this, Suswati worked as a journalist in China for four years, investigating censorship and the Great Firewall, and acquired proficiency in several languages.

In recent years, Suswati has been nominated for six awards, including the Independent Podcast Awards, International Women’s Podcast Awards, and the Anthem Awards for her literary social affairs show.

Her areas of speciality span a wide range, including technology, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), social politics, mental health, and nonfiction books.





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