Bitcoin Nears Record as Treasury Investors Boost Crypto Market

(Bloomberg) — Bitcoin rose to within striking distance of an all-time high as demand from institutional investors and corporate treasury buyers lifts the wider market for digital assets.

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The original cryptocurrency advanced as much as 3.3% to top $122,000, not far shy of a previous record set in mid-July. A weekend rally saw Ether surge to above $4,300, its highest level since December 2021.

The gains come on the back of mounting interest in cryptocurrencies among large investors. So-called digital-asset treasury companies — listed vehicles that pivot into accumulating cryptocurrencies — have to date amassed a Bitcoin stockpile worth $113 billion, according to data compiled by Coingecko. Equivalent vehicles for Ether have stockpiled some $13 billion of the token so far, according to strategicethreserve.xyz data.

“Bitcoin’s climb toward record highs is being supported by steady institutional inflows into corporate treasuries, US spot ETFs and a shift in sentiment following new US tariffs on imported gold bars,” said Rachael Lucas, a crypto analyst at BTC Markets. “With gold facing supply bottlenecks and policy risk, Bitcoin’s role as a borderless, tariff-free store of value is gaining traction among investors.”

Bitcoin traded around $120,075 as of 1:08 p.m. in New York, while Ether was at $4,311.

Eric Trump, son of US President Donald Trump, who has financial interests in several digital-asset entities, applauded the Ether rally in a post on X. Alt5 Sigma Corp., A biotech-turned-financial firm, announced Monday that its seeking to raise up to $1.5 billion, in a deal that would transform it into a stockpiler of a Trump-tied crypto token, offering new ballast to a project that financially benefits the president’s family.

Ether options markets reflected the bullish sentiment with an overall put-call ratio 0.40. The highest concentration of call options with a December 26 expiry is at $6,000, according to Deribit data.

Bitcoin and Ether positioning has been heavily skewed toward September and December calls in line with macro rate-cut timing and continued adoption by the traditional financial system, said Sean McNulty, derivatives trading lead of APAC at digital-asset prime brokerage FalconX Ltd.