Bitcoin soared to a record high against the dollar on Monday, as its 2020 rally steamed ahead, boosted by increased demand from both institutional and retail investors that saw the virtual currency as a safe-haven and a hedge against inflation. The digital unit touched an all-time peak of $19,864.15, breaking its prior record set nearly three years ago. It was last up 6.1% at $19,306.35.
Last Friday, however, bitcoin dropped more than 8%, below $17,000, before rebounding on Monday. Bitcoin overall has gained more than 170% this year, fuelled by a demand for riskier assets amid unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus, hunger for assets perceived as resistant to inflation, and expectations that cryptocurrencies would win mainstream acceptance.
Christopher Bendiksen, head of research at CoinShares, cited continued corporate and institutional interest as well as post-Thanksgiving retail demand for bitcoin’s renewed surge, according to Reuters: “While circumstantial, price action really started picking up speed when the US woke up this morning, which could reflect buying pressure from retail-oriented platforms such as Square’s CashApp, Robinhood and PayPal.”
[Ed. update December 3: bitcoin in USD was at 19,358.80]