Bitcoin and cryptocurrency prices are soaring, pushing the value of the entire cryptocurrency market over $2 trillion for the first time (though some think the bull run could be just getting started).
With the bitcoin price hovering around $60,000 per bitcoin, the psychological $2 trillion barrier was broken by sharp increases in the price of smaller cryptocurrencies ethereum, binance coin, Ripple's XRP and litecoin, according to data from crypto price website CoinGecko.
INDIA - 2020/04/30: In this photo illustration a Bitcoin cryptocurrency logo seen displayed on a ... [+] smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The bitcoin and cryptocurrency market has more than doubled in value so far this year, rising from around $750 billion at the beginning of the year. Bitcoin, by far the biggest cryptocurrency by value, makes up more than half of the cryptocurrency market capitalization and has traditionally led the market.
However, the latest rally is being driven by ethereum and binance coin, both cryptocurrencies that have surged over the last year due to a burst of interest in so-called decentralized finance (DeFi). Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency after bitcoin with a total value of around $250 billion, has hit a fresh all-time high price over the last weekadding a further 2% today.
Binance coin and bitcoin-rival litecoin, both top ten cryptocurrencies, have each added around 10% during the last 24 hours.
XRP, the cryptocurrency developed by the company Ripple, has leaped by 35% over the same period following upbeat comments from Ripple chief executive Brad Garlinghouse on the company's legal battle with U.S. regulators that have claimed XRP is a security and was illegally sold to investors. Ripple is braced for a key discovery session with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, bitcoin and cryptocurrency traders are feeling positive after breaking the $2 trillion barrier and it's thought this so-called altcoin rally could be set to continue for some time yet.
"I'm expecting continuation upwards in the coming weeks, with bitcoin lagging," says crypto trader and economist Alex Krger, speaking via Telegram. "The issue for this market is that leverage heats up too easily whenever bitcoin pushes higher. That's a headwind."
The bitcoin price has added almost 800% over the last 12 months, climbing to a total value of over ... [+] $1 trillion.
Other crypto market watchers are feeling similarly optimistic, though passing the $2 trillion milestone has had a muted reaction after a run that's seen so many barriers broken.
"It's a fun milestone to celebrate but as we know, quite meaningless," says Mati Greenspan, the founder of market analysis firm Quantum Economics, who's feeling bullish despite the massive gains cryptocurrencies have already racked up this year. "The crypto market will continue to grow and more non-crypto related markets will migrate to digital assets. It's a very good time for the industry."
The bitcoin and cryptocurrency bull run was sparked in October by news PayPal PYPL would be opening up its platform to bitcoin and a handful of other cryptocurrencies, kicking off a wave of institutional investment in the crypto space. Meanwhile, Telsa billionaire Elon Musk whipped retail traders into a frenzy with his pro-bitcoin tweets, setting the market alight when it was revealed Tesla had added $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin to its balance sheet.
The bitcoin and cryptocurrency community is now celebrating what it sees as the normalization of blockchain-based technology.
"With the crypto market cap exceeding $2 trillion, it is important to note that momentum and interest has begun to expand beyond bitcoin and ethereum," Paolo Ardoino, the chief technology officer at the British Virgin Islands-based bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, said in emailed comments.
"As the industry continues to mature, we expect more blockchain-based applications to be introduced to the world, and coinciding with that, a surge of interest around other alternative assets, dApps and ecosystems as they become more market-ready."
- Chinas Bitcoin Exchanges Say Banks Will Close Their Accounts [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- How I created my own bitcoin [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- How I created my own bitcoin-like currency [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin players knock on Washington doors [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- How does Bitcoin work? - Bitcoin [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Should We Do a Bitcoin Sketch? - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Talk Show #4 with Chris Ellis and Thomas Hunt - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin - an Introduction - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin ATM Unveiled on Capitol Hill - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Fla. Bitcoin Case Tests Money Laundering Limits - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Capitol Hill Bitcoin ATM...No Anonymity! April 10 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- BREAKING: US Congressman Steve Stockman To Introduce First Bitcoin Bill - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- 10 Things You Didn't Know About BitCoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- All about Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Internet vs Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin: The Future of Currency? - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Watching Bitcoin dropping to new lows - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Bitcoin ATM unveiled in Washington DC: revolutionary digital currency arrives on Capitol Hill - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Qu'est-ce que le bitcoin ? - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Decentralize Everything -- Congresswoman Velazquez supports Bitcoin -- Stallman in Vienna - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Drake Bitcoin's Here Music Video - Bitcoin T Shirt Store - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- China tightens leash on bitcoin - Biz Wire - April 4,2014 - BONTV China - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- What is BITCOIN? Andreas Antonopoulos & Amir Taaki explain BTC value - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Texas Bitcoin Conference - Robocoin & Coinvault ATM - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Texas Bitcoin Conference - BitShares - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Is Bitcoin the Future of Money? (with Timothy B. Lee) - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Robert Murphy at Texas Bitcoin Conference 2014 about Austrian Economics, money theory and Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- CryptexCard - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Father of Virtual Reality on Bitcoin April 8 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- California's first bitcoin ATM launches in Silicon Valley - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Fight Night: Kickboxing for bitcoin and Max Keiser 'defeats banksters' - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Bitcoin blunder: Satoshi Nakamoto denies all involvement with cryptocurrency [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- Bitcoin gets easier for consumers to buy, spend [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- 11.04.14 Forex, Bitcoin Romanov Capital - Video [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- USA: Capitol Hill gets its own Bitcoin ATM - Video [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- Bitcoin, a moeda virtual. - Video [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto tracked down, but says story has no currency [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Bitcoin's backers know they need to win you over [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- [Structure] Heartbleed and Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- BitCoin mining frame - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Where Do You Think US Bitcoin Regulations Are Headed? - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Dwyer 4-11-14 Bitcoin Update - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- 4/10/14 - China & BTC, Bitcoin Tax Solutions, Libra, BitInvest Coincards - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Ben Lawsky & NY Regulators on Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Bill to Change IRS Ruling on Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Bitcoin is not over! Bitcoin Indian Food Night Saturday! (adult language, parody and yelling) - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Demonstrating a Bitcoin ATM at Dig South - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- 10 Things You Didn t Know About BitCoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- How Bitcoin Works in 5 Minutes - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Below $400, Massive Security Breach, 4,000 Merchants, and Congress - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian talks Bitcoin security, Mt. Gox on Joe Rogan Experience - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Cointools: Drupal & Bitcoin == $awesome - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Bitcoin ATM, Black Star Pastry, Rosebery, Sydney, Australia (Vending machine, BTM) - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- My Bitcoin Call to Alex Jones Infowars Digital Paper Wallets Storage - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- The Bitcoin Group #25 (Live) -- Bitcoin Sports -- Gox Buyout? -- Sidechains -- Dogecoin Merged? - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- 4/11/14 - China, Mt. Gox buyout, Gyft Cloud, BIT, new bitcoin symbol - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- 9 Year Old Explains Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- CITP Bitcoin Panel 2 Altcoins - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Why US Regulators Should Go Easy on Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- In Crypto We Trust Hackathon Pitches - Bitcoin Expo 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- CITP Bitcoin - Panel 1: Economics and Public Policy - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- David Chen of Lightspeed Ventures visits Plug and Play Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Video: Roundup of This Week's Bitcoin News 11th April 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Peace and Bitcoin Remastered - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- [Bitcoin] Cannot be divorced from pre-existing political theory - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Trade 114 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Wall Street's Fair Value of Bitcoin - Inside Bitcoins NYC 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Elliotte Wave Technical Analysis Applied to Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Wisdom Depth Chart - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Live - Paris Bitcoin Startup #2 @TheFamily - Mercredi 16/04/2014 ds 19h - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Not Tax Day, Bitcoin Day! - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Preview: The Bitcoin Uprising - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- WCN Live: iNacho -- an interview with Jerica Truax -- win a bitcoin by rating Nachos! 🙂 - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Can You Use Bitcoin for a Tax Haven? - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- What Is Proof Of Stake In Nextcoin (NXT) vs. Proof Of Work In Bitcoin (BTC) - By Tai Zen - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Bitcoin, little failures and huge successes - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: Coin Unlimited over Bitcoin en altcoins - Edwin van den Ouden - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: Tor (The Onion Router) Joachim de Koning - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: First Steps in Ethereum - Joachim de Koning (part one) - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: First Steps in Ethereum Joachim de Koning (part two) - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]