Bitcoin races above $100,000 mark on Trump appointment

Bitcoin races above $100,000 mark on Trump appointment 

 

Bitcoin surged above $100,000 for the first time on Thursday, a milestone hailed even by sceptics as a coming-of-age for digital assets as investors bet on a friendly US administration to cement the place of cryptocurrencies in financial markets.

Reuters reports the new price came on Donald Trump’s decision to pick a crypto fan to head the US securities regulator, reinforcing optimism the new President will push through measures to deregulate the sector.

According to the report, the total value of the cryptocurrency market has almost doubled over the year so far to hit a record over $3.8 trillion, going by data provider CoinGecko.

The cryptocurrency soared through the mark, having enjoyed a blistering rally since the November 5 election of Trump, who pledged on the campaign trail to make the United States the “bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world”.

The digital unit has raced over 50 per cent since Trump’s victory — and around 140 per cent since the turn of the year.

However, the unit’s advance — it hit a record of $103,800.44 before easing to just below $103,000 in the afternoon — had stalled in recent weeks, sitting just below $100,000 as traders awaited new catalysts to buy in.

That came with news that Trump settling for a major crypto proponent Paul Atkins to take over as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Atkins, an SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008, founded risk consultancy firm Patomak Global Partners in 2009, whose clients include companies in the banking, trading and cryptocurrency industries.

An announcement from the Trump transition team noted that Atkins had been co-chairman of the Digital Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the use of digital assets, since 2017.

“Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations,” Trump said in a statement that emphasised Atkins’ commitment to “robust, innovative” capital markets.

Trump stated, “He also recognises that digital assets and other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.”