Skip to Content
News & Analysis at your fingertips.

We use a range of cookies to give you the best possible browsing experience. By continuing to use this website, you agree to our use of cookies.
You can learn more about our cookie policy here, or by following the link at the bottom of any page on our site. See our updated Privacy Policy here.

Free Trading Guides
Subscribe
Please try again
Select

Live Webinar Events

0

Economic Calendar Events

0

Notify me about

Live Webinar Events
Economic Calendar Events

H

High

M

Medium

L

Low
More View More
Bitcoin Surges By 22%, Tops  $5000 In Reminder of 2017’s Volatility

Bitcoin Surges By 22%, Tops $5000 In Reminder of 2017’s Volatility

David Cottle, Analyst

Share:

What's on this page

Bitcoin Price Surge, Talking Points:

  • Bitcoin suddenly added more than 20% in the middle of Tuesday’s Asia Pacific trading session
  • The reason behind the move remains elusive, with little happening elsewhere in the markets to give a clear lead
  • All cryptocurrencies made gains, but Bitcoin was the stand-out leader

Want to know more about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? Try the free DailyFX Guide.

Bitcoin prices surged during Tuesday’s Asian session, briefly reaching the $5,000 point before heading back down.

The world’s biggest cryptocurrency had risen by more than 20% on the day at one point, to levels not seen since November 2018.

Back to the Past? Bitcoin Prices, Daily Chart

There was no immediately obvious explanation for this astonishing leap, which came in an Asian session of modest gains for local stocks and a return to winning ways for the US Dollar as Stateside yields rose.

Days with price changes of huge magnitude have been rare for cryptocurrencies in 2019 but were far more common during the breakneck trading days of their epic rise and fall two years ago. Whatever the eventual reason behind Tuesday’s surge it will serve as a perhaps overdue reminder that Bitcoin remains subject to the sort of volatility and speculation which render its utility as a currency so minimal.

After all, who’d ever spend a Dollar if they thought it could be worth 20% more tomorrow? Who’d hold one if they feared it could be worth 20% less by supper time?

And Bitcoin still commands a fraction of the prices reached back in December 2017 when it climbed as high as $19,600 to post its record high. Within a year it was trading below $4,000.

Bitcoin certainly outperformed other cryptocurrencies on Tuesday, but there were strong gains to be seen across the complex, with gains of over 10% seen for the likes of Ether and BitcoinCash.

At the time of writing 0600 GMT Tuesday, Bitcoin was looking pretty comfortable close to its new peaks, having only retraced as far as $4718. It will be incredible if the majority of these gains hold through the remainder of the global trading session. The crypto space will repay close watching for the next several hours.

Resources for Traders

Whether you’re new to trading or an old hand DailyFX has plenty of resources to help you. There’s our trading sentiment indicator which shows you live how IG clients are positioned right now. We also hold educational and analytical webinars and offer trading guides, with one specifically aimed at those new to foreign exchange markets. There’s also a Bitcoin guide. Be sure to make the most of them all. They were written by our seasoned trading experts and they’re all free.

--- Written by David Cottle, DailyFX Research

Follow David on Twitter @DavidCottleFX or use the Comments section below to get in touch!

DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets.

DISCLOSURES