NBC NEWS
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%.