(Bloomberg) —Â Bitcoin topped $8,000 for the first time, as investors set aside technology concerns that had derailed its advance earlier this month.
Bitcoin rose 4 percent to $8,015.67 as of 7:47 a.m. in London, paring a rally of as much as 5.2 percent during Asian hours. Itâs now up more than 700 percent this year after shrugging off a tumble earlier this month. Itâs been a tumultuous year for the largest cryptocurrency, with three separate slumps of more than 25 percent all giving way to subsequent rallies.
Even as many skeptics call the asset a bubble waiting to pop, itâs becoming too big for many on Wall Street to ignore. The digital currency is gaining the acceptance of professional investors, with CME Group Inc., the worldâs biggest exchange, poised to start offering futures trading on bitcoin next month.
Recent volatility has also stemmed from a pickup in people switching to alternative virtual currencies, notably, Bitcoin cash. Thatâs gaining popularity due to lower transaction cost and faster speed. New cryptocurrency iterations are springing up as disagreements over bitcoinâs design persist and opportunities for making a quick buck prove hard to pass up.
