Bitcoin rises and rises

The value of the cryptocurrency is now almost $ 10,000, the Bitcoin was so on Monday as expensive as never before. Meanwhile, the Chicago Stock Exchange is planning a solid platform on which to trade the digital currency.

Investors are back to Bitcoin: The Internet currency on Monday increased by a good 18 percent and was with $ 9720 more expensive than ever. "It looks like Bitcoin will crack the 10,000 mark," said analyst Neil Wilson of broker ETX Capital. "It's only a matter of time." The decision by the US derivatives exchange CME to launch a Bitcoin future has given the virtual currency an additional boost. Since announcing the plans, Bitcoin has gained more than 50 percent. Thus, the plus adds up to about 900 percent this year.

"A correction of the Bitcoin course will come sooner or later," said Nicholas Gregory, head of a software house specializing in Blockchain. Crypto-currencies are based on this technology. "The bursting of a speculative bubble and a long-term future need not be mutually exclusive," adds Gregory. After all, despite the dot-com bubble at the turn of the millennium, there are still internet corporations.

One reason for the huge demand is the Bitcoin future planned by the renowned US stock exchange CME, with which investors can bet on falling or rising prices. They assume that for the cryptocurrency, the locks in the mass market open, more traded products are likely to follow soon. Bitcoin critics, however, warn against the bursting of a bubble and advise against investing in the unregulated and highly fluctuating computer money.

"Many private investors have now taken advantage of one of the last opportunities to stock up on digital dollars in time before the CME Group may receive approval for a Bitcoin future," says analyst Timo Emden of brokerage IG. A Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures contract would augment the digital currency launched in 2008, as the CME is the world's largest futures exchange and well known in the industry. "If there is an accepted platform on which Bitcoin can be traded, the argument for a new asset category is present", emphasizes foreign exchange analyst Michael Andersch of Bayern LB.


The Chicago Stock Exchange is planning a solid platform to trade bitcoin
The CME executives are not the only ones seeing Bitcoin before the breakthrough: The US CME rival CBOE has also applied for a Bitcoin futures contract with the US Financial Services Authority. Swiss bank Vontobel has launched two futures that allow investors to bet on falling bitcoin prices. In France, asset manager Tobam ​​launched a fund that allows institutional investors to invest in the virtual currency. The world's largest listed hedge fund Man Group announced that it would offer Bitcoin futures to interested clients. The bosses of the US banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were open to it. According to CME, the start of the futures contract is planned for this year.