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Bitcoin price – live: BTC analyst makes $150k prediction as investors prepare for ETF ‘frenzy’

Bitcoin has broken above $60,000 for the first time since April, prompting a market-wide price surge.

The latest gains follow news on Friday that the US Securities and Exchange Commission is set to approve the first bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund (ETF) early next week.

Other leading cryptocurrencies have also seen big price increases in recent days, with Ethereum (ether), Binance Coin and Ripple (XRP) all rising by between 5-10 per cent over the last week.

The crypto market is now valued at more than $2.44 trillion, meaning it is now worth more than Apple, the world’s most valuable company.

Some analysts have forecast a record-breaking end to the year, with one price prediction model putting BTC on track to hit a new all-time-high by November. The same model predicts that bitcoin will hit six figures in 2021.

We’ll have all the latest news, analysis and expert price predictions right here.

Read More

Bitcoin price prediction model remains ‘amazingly accurate’ with less than 1% error – and forecasts record end to 2021

Key points

  • Crypto market value overtakes Apple

  • Bitcoin advocates share ‘best trading strategy'

  • Highly-anticipated bitcoin futures ETF set for approval

Bitcoin price to hit $150,000 this cycle?

13:09 , Anthony Cuthbertson

With bitcoin still hovering just a couple of thousand dollars away from its all-time high, one analyst has zoomed out from the short-term market movements to look at the “big big” picture.

Looking at price data from the last nine years, crypto author Glen Goodman has extrapolated a potential peak for BTC this cycle at around $150,000. This could be followed by a major correction to around $20,000, though he warns that this lower bound could be hit before the top end is reached.

The amount of variables that could impact the market in the future mean such projections are hugely hypothetical, though interesting to consider.

Bitcoin price surges again overnight

Saturday 16 October 2021 08:25 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Another overnight rally has seen the price of bitcoin hit a fresh six-month high above $62,000 – leaving it less than $2,000 away from its all-time high.

Bitcoin is now up by 44 per cent since the beginning of October, while other leading cryptocurrencies have also seen similarly remarkable gains.

At the halfway point, here’s how the top five have fared since the start of the month:

• Bitcoin: +44%

• Ethereum: +27%

• Binance Coin: +24%

• Cardano: +5%

• Ripple: +20%

Bitcoin price closing in on all-time high

Friday 15 October 2021 16:17 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Bitcoin has more than quintupled in price over the last 12 months, and is now less than $4,000 away from the all-time high that it experienced in mid April.

It’s been a bumpy year for bitcoin, with some analysts predicting that the latest price rally was merely a “dead cat bounce” that would see the cryptocurrency tumble all the way back to below $20,000.

The closer BTC gets to its $64,000 record, the less likely this scenario looks. One of the most prominent advocates of this bear market theory, the pseudonymous Mr Whale, seems to have been receiving a lot of comments on Twitter, judging by his latest tweet:

Bitcoin price finally breaks $60,000, with traders ‘extremely bullish'

Friday 15 October 2021 14:56 , Anthony Cuthbertson

After teasing the $60,000 price mark all day, bitcoin has finally broken above it.

This is the first time since April that the world’s biggest cryptocurrency has reached this high, and breaching this milestone could prompt a significant price rally, according to one analyst.

Will Morris, a sales trader at the UK based digital asset broker GlobalBlock, believes this could be the start of an “extremely bullish” phase for bitcoin.

“Traders previously suggested that for bitcoin to enter an extremely bullish phase and go parabolic it would need to break the $59-60k level,” he tells The Independent.

“If BTC breaks to $61k there could be minimal upside pressure. All-time highs of nearly $65k will be the next resistance level before a potential price discovery phase. While the BTC price has fiercely rallied over the past few weeks, bitcoin balance on exchanges remains at the lowest levels in nine months, indicating investors are holding bitcoin in wallets rather than readying themselves to sell.”

How high could bitcoin price go?

Friday 15 October 2021 13:31 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Depending on who you ask, the answer to this question can range from $0 to north of $1 million.

But separating the so-called FUDsters from the ‘Moon Boys’ are the more realistic crypto analysts, who put bitcoin’s price within a window of between $10,000 and $250,000 over the next year.

One of the most accurate forecasts made in recent months comes from the pseudonymous Dutch analyst PlanB, who predicted in June the price of bitcoin in August and September to within less than a third of a per cent.

According to PlanB’s “worst case scenario”, bitcoin will be at $63,000 at the end of October, before shooting up to $98,000 in November and $135,000 in December. Today he tweets:

Crypto expert predicts price ‘frenzy'

Friday 15 October 2021 11:06 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Bitcoin is set for more short-term gains and possibly even a buying “frenzy”, according to one crypto expert.

We’ve heard from Greg Waisman, co-founder and COO at the global payments network Mercuryo, who believes today’s ETF news could provide the next major leg up for the market that will push bitcoin to a new all-time high.

Waisman this could come within the next couple of weeks, before climbing a further $10,000 before the end of the year. Here’s what he had to say:

The $6.7 trillion US ETF industry is the largest market in the world – bitcoin frenzy may reach new heights in the near future.

Approving futures-based bitcoin ETFs will be seen as a forward-thinking move by the SEC and could lead to a bullish run. Given the size of the US ETF industry and current positivity in the market, following China’s ban being put behind the public, El Salvador’s good will – using surplus funds from The Bitcoin Trust for noble purposes and the emergence of India as the country with most crypto users, among other reasons, I believe not only will bitcoin cross $60,000 but also break it’s all-time high this month and potentially surpass $65,000 by the end of the month.

Unless some barriers to growth appear in the latter stages of the year, bitcoin is poised to reach $75,000 by the end of the year.

Greg Waisman, Mercuryo

Bitcoin price set for record-breaking end to 2021?

Friday 15 October 2021 10:45 , Anthony Cuthbertson

October has historically been a positive month for bitcoin, averaging 13 per cent gains since 2011, though this is just a fraction of the price increase typically seen in November.

With nearly a 40 per cent price rise in October already, bitcoin is vastly outperforming the precedent.

We’re still only halfway through October, but if bitcoin stays at its current price and then replicates the average gains of previous years, it will reach six figures before Christmas. That’s clearly just hypothetical but several prominent analysts like PlanB have made similar projections.

Crypto analysts react to bitcoin ETF news

Friday 15 October 2021 09:10 , Anthony Cuthbertson

You can read the full story of the long-awaited bitcoin futures ETF right here, which includes analysis from crypto experts about what this news means for the space.

We’ll be getting more reaction throughout the day from analysts, as well as expert price predictions for bitcoin and the rest of the cryptocurrency market. Could we be in for a record-breaking end to 2021? It would take only one more sudden surge, like the one we saw earlier this morning, for BTC to hit a new all-time high - though some are warning that mania could once again be creeping into the market, signalling a dip could also be on its way at some point.

Bitcoin ETF news sends price of crypto soaring

Bitcoin price surges, closing in on record high

Friday 15 October 2021 06:51 , Anthony Cuthbertson

The price of bitcoin is now less than $5,000 away from its all-time high, after suddenly shooting up from below $57,000 to close to $60,000 on Friday morning.

The gains come off the back of a report that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is set to approve the launch of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF).

This would be a massive step forward for bitcoin and cryptocurrency investors, who have been calling for a bitcoin ETF approval for years.

The official Twitter account from the SEC’s investor education office also hinted that an announcement was imminent, tweeting about the risks of trading bitcoin futures contracts.

Dogecoin price spikes after Elon Musk tweets

Thursday 14 October 2021 15:04 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Elon Musk has once again sent the price of dogecoin soaring after trading tweets with the cryptocurrency’s founder, Billy Markus.

The meme-inspired crypto shot up nearly 10 per cent after Musk replied with the ‘100’ emoji after Markus tweeted, “if you don’t run a dogecoin node, you are satan”.

The centibillionaire also posted a crying face emoji to a meme posted by Markus, inspired by hit Netflix show Squid Game.

As the richest person in the world, Musk revealed earlier this year that beyond Tesla stock and his share of ownership in SpaceX, cryptocurrency is the only thing of significant value that he owns.

The only ones he has admitted to personally owning are bitcoin, Ethereum (ether) and, you guessed it, dogecoin.

 (CoinMarketCap)
(CoinMarketCap)

How bitcoin and crypto market stack up

Thursday 14 October 2021 13:28 , Anthony Cuthbertson

After overtaking the market value of Apple today, we put this chart together to see how the cryptocurrency market stacks up against the top 10 leading assets.

Accounting for nearly half of the global crypto market cap, bitcoin ranks above Facebook, Tesla and Berkshire Hathaway in the top 10.

No included on this chart are precious metals, but if they were gold would be way out in front with a market cap of more than $11 trillion. Silver would also rank 7th on the list, just ahead of bitcoin with a market cap of $1.31 trillion.

Crypto market value overtakes Apple

Thursday 14 October 2021 12:01 , Anthony Cuthbertson

The cryptocurrency market is now worth more than the world’s most valuable company.

Bitcoin’s price surge, combined with gains from Ethereum (ether), Cardano (ada) and Ripple (XRP) over the last few hours has pushed the overall crypto market cap up by 5 per cent.

This puts it at $2.37 trillion - roughly $40 billion more than Apple.

Bitcoin alone is now closing in on the market cap of silver, with analysts making comparisons to the astonishing price increase that it experienced in 2013.

You can read the full story here.

Bitcoin price rally sees crypto market overtake world’s most valuable company

Bitcoin price shoots up as ‘institutional investors return'

Thursday 14 October 2021 08:51 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Bitcoin is once again on the ascendency, hitting a fresh five-month high on Thursday morning after a brief moment of price consolidation in the middle of the week.

The overall crypto market has also shot up, with an increase in value of around 5 per cent since this time yesterday. That equates to more than $100 billion.

We’ve heard from the UK head of the Luno cryptocurrency exchange this morning, who offers his thoughts on why bitcoin and other leading cryptocurrencies are surging.

The rising expectations for a bitcoin ETF shown by rising open interest, and growing basis premiums for CME’s futures may be a cause of the bullish momentum. CME’s share of the global open interest in the bitcoin futures also reached 17 per cent this week – the highest level recorded since February 2021 suggesting institutional traders have returned to bitcoin.

Sam Kopelman, Luno

Bitcoin price slides but Binance Coin skyrockets

Wednesday 13 October 2021 11:24 , Anthony Cuthbertson

The price of bitcoin has now slipped below $55,000, though other leading cryptocurrencies are seeing a major resurgence.

Binance Coin is now up more than 16 per cent since this time yesterday, while Polkadot and Uniswap are both up by more than 7 per cent.

The latest gains have pushed Binance Coin’s price above $450 – less than $200 away from its all-time high – and means its market cap is now close to $80 billion.

The reason for the price surge appears to be the introduction of a $1 billion fund that Binance claims will be “the biggest growth fund in the history or crypto”.

US overtakes China for bitcoin mining

Wednesday 13 October 2021 09:51 , Anthony Cuthbertson

For the first time ever, the US has overtaken China to become the top destination for bitcoin miners.

New data from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance shows that one third of bitcoin’s hashrate is now in the US, following a 428 per cent increase since September 2020.

The shift comes after China’s massive crackdown on mining operations in the country, which wiped out roughly half of all bitcoin miners.

Cheap energy and vast renewable power sources has made the US an attractive destination for miners, though it still doesn’t command the same dominance in the sector as China once did. Analysts see the spreading out of market share as a major positive for bitcoin and should ultimately reduce big price fluctuations as no single country can have a significant impact on the sector through introducing new legislation.

Bitcoin advocates share long-term trading strategy

Wednesday 13 October 2021 07:15 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Two of the most high-profile bitcoin advocates have offered their advice on cryptocurrency trading.

MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, who has ploughed billions of the company’s cash reserves into bitcoin, and Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) have both said they do not look at short-term price swings.

Instead, CZ advises to “focus on the long term”, while Saylor says “the best strategy is to buy bitcoin and wait”. It seems to have worked for him so far, with MicroStrategy more than doubling the $3.16 billion that it has invested into bitcoin.

Altcoins surge as bitcoin price stalls

Wednesday 13 October 2021 06:55 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Bitcoin’s steady price gains since the start of the week appear to be on hold, as it remains below $56,000 on Wednesday morning.

Making up for the lack of movement are several leading cryptocurrencies that have surged in price overnight.

Binance Coin is up 8 per cent, while Solana and Polkadot are both up by around 3 per cent. Bitcoin’s slight dip in price, combined with these altcoin gains, mean the overall crypto market has moved by less than a third of a per cent since this time yesterday.

Bitcoin price dips but remains up by 10%

Tuesday 12 October 2021 19:11 , Anthony Cuthbertson

The price of bitcoin has dipped slightly over the last few hours, falling from above $57,000 to below $56,000.

Despite the losses, BTC remains up by more than 10 per cent week-on-week, and remains within a relatively tight trading window that has proved remarkably stable since the sudden surge at the start of October. Bitcoin’s market cap also remains above $1 trillion, though the overall crypto market cap has fallen by just over 2 per cent to $2.29 trillion over the last 24 hours.

Here’s how the price chart looks for the last seven days, courtesy of CoinMarketCap.

 (CoinMarketCap)
(CoinMarketCap)

Bitcoin price actually benefits from Chinese crackdown, expert claims

Tuesday 12 October 2021 13:27 , Anthony Cuthbertson

After bitcoin hit an all-time high of just above $64,000 in mid April, the cryptocurrency suffered one of the most devastating price crashes in its history that took it below $30,000.

One of the leading causes was China’s crackdown on cryptocurrency, which forced miners - which made up more than 70 per cent of the network - to close operations and move out of the country. But while this had a negative impact on bitcoin’s price in the short term, some crypto experts believe it will actually be beneficial in the long run.

“Periodic ‘shock-tests’ seem to only make bitcoin grow stronger,” Paolo Ardoino, chief technology officer of the exchange Bitfinex, tells The Independent.

“The hashrate is recovering to reach a near all-time high in the wake of the China ban... We see the king of crypto is once again showing its resilience. In the case of any ban or restrictions on bitcoin, there will always be someone left to fill the void. We expect to see others step up as China’s power diminishes. This is a true testament to the far reach and resilience of the industry.”

Five countries will accept bitcoin as legal tender in 2022, crypto boss predicts

Tuesday 12 October 2021 11:27 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Following El Salvador’s pioneering Bitcoin Law, which made the cryptocurrency legal tender in the Central American country last month, there has been a lot of speculation over which countries might follow suit.

A bold new prediction has just come from Alex Hoeptner, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bitmex, who believes that at least five countries will adopt bitcoin by the end of next year.

Hoeptner says “all of them will be developing countries,” citing remittance fees, inflation and politics as the three main factors driving the adoption.

“Over the next year, and as El Salvador works out the kinks in its rollout, savvy politicians will be thinking of how they can take a similar path, and how it might benefit both them and their constituents,” he said. “What El Salvador did is take the first leap of faith, making similar moves by other countries much easier to consider.”

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon says bitcoin is ‘worthless’, exposing stark lack of knowledge

Tuesday 12 October 2021 09:57 , Anthony Cuthbertson

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has said he believes bitcoin is “worthless”, while also revealing that his clients disagree.

He said that JPMorgan will provide customers “as-clean-as-possible access” to bitcoin, saying that his personal opinion on the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency is irrelevant when there is such strong demand for it.

It is not the first time the controversial CEO has spoken out against bitcoin, though his latest comments have revealed a fundamental misunderstanding about the cryptocurrency. He questioned whether bitcoin’s fixed supply - no more than 21 million coins will ever exist - will magically increase in the future, asking: “How do you know it ends at 21 million? You all read the algorithms? You guys all believe that? I don’t know, I’ve always been a skeptic of stuff like that?”

If he bothered to “read the algorithms” himself, he would realise that it is just five lines of code that limit bitcoin’s supply.

Bitcoin ETF speculation pushing price up?

Tuesday 12 October 2021 09:31 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Widely reported speculation that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is interested in four separate bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) is being cited as one of the driving factors behind the cryptocurrency’s astonishing price rise since the start of October.

We’ve heard from Konstantin Anissimov, executive director of the crypto exchange CEX.IO, who says the rumours are just one of several factors pushing bitcoin’s price higher.

Here’s what he had to say:

There are a few reasons why bitcoin is currently experiencing a bullish surge.October has been a good month for crypto investors. El Salvador’s move to adopt bitcoin as legal tender has been seen in a positive light.El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele announced that they will use surplus funds from The Bitcoin Trust to build a veterinary hospital. The use of bitcoin for such a noble cause has surely played a role in public approval and a gain in price.Another reason for Bitcoin’s increase in value is JPMorgan’s recent note to investors - it said that the prized crypto asset seems to be a better hedge against inflation than gold. I believe the latest bitcoin rally is a direct result of inflation concerns and investors are using the cryptocurrency as a hedge against it. The US’s positive stance on cryptocurrencies in recent weeks is another contributing factor.The public sentiment is bullish at the moment and there appear to be no roadblocks in the near future. 2021 has been a topsy-turvy year for cryptocurrencies as is usually the case – we could be in for a good end to the year!

Konstantin Anissimov, CEX.IO

Mystery whale buys $1.6 billion of bitcoin

Tuesday 12 October 2021 07:58 , Anthony Cuthbertson

A mysterious investor, or group of investors, has placed an order to buy $1.6 billion worth of bitcoin on a cryptocurrency exchange.

Such a large volume trade has inevitably contributed to bitcoin’s price surge, pushing it above $57,000 for the first time since May.

Ki Young, a crypto analyst and CEO of on-chain data firm CryptoQuant, speculated that traders may be taking on large positions ahead of a rumoured approval by the US Securities and Exchange Commission of a futures-based bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). This kind of announcement would be huge for bitcoin, and would almost certainly lead to fresh new price highs.

Bitcoin price closing in on ATH as crypto market closes in on Apple

Tuesday 12 October 2021 07:51 , Anthony Cuthbertson

Bitcoin has risen by nearly a third in value since the start of the month, with the price gains pushing the overall crypto market cap above the value of tech giants like Amazon, Alphabet (Google) and Microsoft.

The cryptocurrency market is currently worth $2.32 trillion, meaning only Apple is worth more at $2.36 trillion.

The market value of bitcoin alone is more than $1 trillion, meaning one more price rally could push it above silver. Some analysts and investors, such as MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor, believe the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency will one day “flip” gold, due to its inbuilt scarcity. That would put the price of a single bitcoin at around half a million dollars.

 (CompaniesMarketCap)
(CompaniesMarketCap)

Hello and welcome...

Tuesday 12 October 2021 07:35 , Anthony Cuthbertson

to The Independent’s live coverage of the crypto market. With another bull run seemingly underway, we’ll have all the latest news, updates and analysis throughout the week for bitcoin, Ethereum (ether) and other leading cryptocurrencies.

We’ll also be bringing you expert price predictions, as well as seeking to answer the question of whether we really are set to see a new all-time high for bitcoin within the next 10 weeks. It’s currently less than $7,000 away from hitting a new record, with its notorious volatility meaning such a jump could be achieved in just a few hours - though such a significant price move could also go the other way.