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Bitcoin hit another high on Monday, as the rally in cryptocurrencies continued following Donald Trump’s election win.
By 5:30 a.m. ET, bitcoin was trading 3.6% higher at $82,171, according to Coin Metrics. It comes after the flagship cryptocurrency touched $80,000 on Sunday for the first time ever.
Other coins also got a boost, with ether up 1.7%, trading around $3,202 after topping $3,000 over the weekend. The decentralized finance token tied to Cardano ticked 1.3% higher, while payments coin XRP took a breather.
Memecoins dogecoin and Shiba Inu coin also continued to rise, up almost 10% and 3.5%, respectively.
Bitcoin touches $80,000 on Sunday for the first time ever.
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, noted that crypto’s march higher comes amid “euphoria” in the market unleashed by Trump’s presidential win last week.
“His pledge to go all in on crypto has sent Bitcoin to fresh heady heights,” she said in a research note Monday.
“He’s made an about turn on supporting the industry and is now vowing to turn the U.S. into the crypto capital of the world. Bitcoin speculators are betting on a more clement regulatory environment, and have expectations that the authorities may build up a reserve crypto fund, helping lift ongoing demand.”
On the campaign trail, Trump announced a slew of promises to the crypto industry, including making the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” and insisting that all bitcoin should be mined in the country.
He also pledged to unseat U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler — who has taken an aggressive approach to crypto — despite the fact that the president does not have the power to do so.
In a research note last week, Citi strategists highlighted that crypto had been one of the “few Trump trades that has yet to retrace.”
“Part of the reason is due to the anticipated cryptofriendly nature of Trump’s administration, which investors hope will translate into regulatory clarity in the U.S.,” the strategists, led by David Glass, said.
They noted that since the election, spot crypto ETFs had seen some of their largest-ever inflows.
“Specifically, net inflows for BTC and ETH ETFs in the two days post-election were $2.01bn and $132mn, respectively,” they said. “We continue to see ETF flows as the main driver of Bitcoin returns.”
Looking ahead, some analysts expect crypto to continue to rise, with a number saying bitcoin is on track to hit the $100,000 milestone by the end of the year.
