Bitcoin Surges to $35,000 for First Time Since 2022 on ETF Hopes

Bitcoin extended a rally fueled by expectations of fresh demand from exchange-traded funds or ETFs, reaching the highest price since May last year.

The largest digital asset rose as much as 11.5% to top $35,000 before paring some of the gain to trade at $33,918 as of 7:25 a.m. in London on Tuesday, taking its year-to-date rebound from 2022’s digital-asset rout to 105%.

The possible approval in coming weeks of the first US spot Bitcoin ETFs is stoking speculative ardor for the token.

Asset managers BlackRock Inc. and Fidelity Investments are among those in the race to offer such products. Digital-asset bulls argue the ETFs would widen adoption of the cryptocurrency.

A US federal appeals court on Monday also formalized a victory for Grayscale Investments LLC in its bid to create a spot Bitcoin ETF over objections from the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The SEC has so far resisted allowing ETFs that invest directly in Bitcoin, citing risks such as fraud and manipulation in the underlying market. The court ruling and flurry of applications from investment heavyweights to start spot funds stoked speculation that the agency will relent.

Bitcoin also surged 10% intraday at the start of last week on ETF hype. On that occasion, an erroneous report that BlackRock had won approval to launch a fund caused the move and the rally cooled once the mistake came to light.