London
Bitcoin passed $17,000 on Tuesday to touch its highest level this year, with investors saying the gains are based on demand for the cryptocurrency’s perceived inflation-resistant qualities and expectations of wider mainstream acceptance. The original and biggest cryptocurrency climbed 3.6 percent to $17,325, its highest level since January, 2018 — just after the peak of its 2017 bubble. Bitcoin has soared over 130 percent this year, and is up more than four-fold from its March lows. Its all-time high is $19,666, scaled in December, 2017 on the back of retail investor-fuelled buying frenzy. Other major cryptocurrencies including ethereum and XRP—AN
