Bitcoin climbs above $45,000 for first time since April 2022

Bitcoin stormed above $45,000 on Tuesday for the first time since April 2022 as the world’s biggest cryptocurrency started the New Year with a bang.

Bitcoin stormed above $45,000 on Tuesday for the first time since April 2022 as the world’s biggest cryptocurrency started the New Year with a bang, buoyed by optimism around the possible approval of exchange-traded spot bitcoin funds.

Bitcoin touched a 21-month peak of $45,532, having gained 156% last year in its strongest yearly performance since 2020. It was last up 3.5% at $45,727 but remains far off the record high of $69,000 it hit in November 2021.

Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, was 2.6% higher at $2,414 on Tuesday, having surged 91% in 2023.

Crypto stocks, which closely track bitcoin prices, surged in U.S. premarket trading with Riot Platforms, Marathon Digital and CleanSpark gaining between 11.3% and 14.8% after sharp falls in the final trading days of 2022.

U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase rose 6.3% and software firm and bitcoin investor MicroStrategy added 9.4%.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/crypto/bitcoin-climbs-45000-first-time-april-2022-rcna131861

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