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CFDs are complex financial instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. CFDs are complex financial instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Bitcoin continues meteoric climb, briefly clearing US$50,000

Bitcoin’s price crossed yet another historic level with boosts from Tesla and MicroStrategy, although some CFOs remained sceptical of the cryptocurrency.

Source: Bloomberg
  • Bitcoin (BTC) price touched US$50,000 this week
  • Market observers believe it may be ‘digital gold’
  • However, many finance executives are not planning to invest in the coin this year, a survey showed
  • Trade BTC, long or short, with an IG account

New records for BTC

The world’s largest cryptocurrency blew past the US$50,000 mark for the first time, as more mainstream investors flocked to its rally.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) price soared to an all-time peak of US$50,603 on Tuesday, up 76% in the year to date. The digital coin fell back to US$49,358 as at 09:44 SGT on Wednesday.

Most of its gains in recent weeks came on the heels of Tesla’s purchase of US$1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin. Elon Musk’s electric carmaker also said that it will accept BTC as payment.

Rabobank strategist Jane Foley said BTC’s rally was an indication of recent buoyant market confidence as well as news suggesting its growing acceptability among companies.

Major firms, including BlackRock, Mastercard, PayPal, BNY Mellon and Square, have backed cryptocurrencies in recent weeks.

However, investment banks continued to warn of a speculative bubble, with Bank of America saying in January that BTC’s price increase ‘blows the doors off prior bubbles’.

Is Bitcoin ‘digital gold’?

Some market observers have likened BTC to the yellow metal. JPMorgan said the cryptocurrency had emerged as a rival to gold and its price could surge to US$146,000 if it becomes an established safe-haven asset.

A narrative of the coin becoming ‘digital gold’ was gaining traction, Reuters reported, as investors sought safe havens amid expectations of inflation after massive economic stimulus to ease Covid-19’s impact.

Nasdaq-listed software maker MicroStrategy Inc announced on Tuesday that it was again adding to its BTC bet. The business intelligence giant has proposed to issue US$600 million in convertible notes to buy more of the virtual coin.

MicroStrategy also said it viewed its BTC stash as long-term holdings, and had no intention of regularly trading it, hedging, or signing derivative contracts.

Mazars chief economist George Lagarias cautioned that the prices of cryptocurrencies, which are intangible assets with little practical use, are mostly determined by demand against a predictable supply. What value one gets from holding BTC in a long-term portfolio is subject to ‘much debate’, he added.

Why are CFOs not keen on Bitcoin?

A poll showed that most finance executives, including chief financial officers (CFOs) are not planning to invest in the token as a corporate asset this year.

Research and advisory firm Gartner in February 2021 surveyed 77 finance executives, including 50 CFOs. A mere 5% of respondents intended to hold BTC on their company books this year, while 84% said they had no plans to ever buy it as an asset.

Over eight in 10 executives cited BTC’s price volatility as their greatest concern, as that posed a financial risk. The Gartner Finance practice’s chief of research, Alexander Bant, noted the ‘extreme’ difficulty in mitigating the coin’s price swings over the past five years.

Other concerns among the respondents included slow adoption of BTC as an accepted payment mode, regulatory challenges, cyber risks, and broader risk aversion, the findings showed.

How to trade Bitcoin with IG

Are you feeling bullish or bearish on Bitcoin?

Either way you can buy (long) or sell (short) the asset using derivatives like CFDs offered on IG's industry-leading trading platform in a few easy steps:

  1. Create a live or demo IG Trading Account, or log in to your existing account
  2. Enter <Bitcoin (USD)> in the search bar and select the instrument
  3. Choose your position size
  4. Click on ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ in the deal ticket
  5. Confirm the trade

This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.
CFDs are a leveraged products. CFD trading may not be suitable for everyone and can result in losses that exceed your initial deposit, so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved.

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