coindesk.com
The price of bitcoin (BTC) passed $27,000 as the leading cryptocurrency’s recent meteoric rise continues.
- Recently, the leading cryptocurrency has been leaving a string of broken records in its wake at an increasingly rapid pace after passing the psychologically key $20,000 mark for the first time ever on Dec. 16.
- In the last several days BTC seems to found yet another gear, breaking through $25,000 Friday night for the first time, and going through $26,000 Saturday afternoon like a hot poker through one-ply tissue.
- Roughly 12 hours after that, BTC soared to $27,443.00 early Sunday morning, before settling down to $27,342.52 at this writing, up 10.32% in the last 24 hours.
- Year-to-date BTC is up more than 270%.
- Institutional investors are perceived to be driving this record-setting run. Among them: Anthony Scaramucci’s Skybridge Capital ($25 million in December); MassMutual ($100 million in December); and Guggenheim (up to 10% of its $5 billion macro fund).
- With the end of the year looming, some fund managers may also be buying BTC to give the impression that they'd got into the cryptocurrency when the price was lower.
- In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve, along with other central banks, has been printing money with abandon trying to stave off the worst economic effects of the pandemic while U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing Congress to pass an even bigger relief package to allow for larger stimulus checks. These actions are viewed by many as potential catalysts for inflation, against which BTC is viewed as a hedge.
- There are those who think BTC is just getting started. Scaramucci has said BTC is in the "early innings" and this afternoon, crypto venture capitalist/bitcoin evangelist Tim Draper tweeted that the price of the leading cryptocurrency could rise ten-fold by the end of 2022.