Bitcoin passes $100K for the first time after rallying 126%+ since January 2024, driven by Bitcoin ETF demand, April's halving, and Donald Trump's election win
Bitcoin has rallied 126% since January to reach $100,000, driven by Bitcoin ETF demand, April's halving and Donald Trump's US election win.
CointelegraphHelen Partz
Context & Ripple Effects
Bitcoin’s return above its 2021 peak in March was already tied in coverage to US spot ETF demand, following a 2023 rebound fueled by expectations of ETF demand. The move from breaking the prior $69K record to a six-figure price shows that the rally had broadened beyond a simple recovery trade.
The post-election advance to a new high above $74K added a political catalyst to the ETF- and halving-led narrative. Crossing $100,000 matters chiefly as a visible threshold that can concentrate attention from investors, issuers, and policymakers around Bitcoin’s newly enlarged market value.
First-order effects
Bitcoin holders gain a new price benchmark after the asset’s first move above $100,000, while ETF demand becomes more central to the market’s stated explanation for the rally.
Bitcoin ETF issuers and distributors receive stronger evidence that regulated investment vehicles can channel demand into the underlying asset during a major price advance.
Second-order effects
Other crypto assets may benefit from renewed risk appetite, as they did during the post-election record move, but their performance remains more dependent on Bitcoin’s ability to hold the new level.
The prominence of ETF flows and the election outcome will push market participants to scrutinize policy signals and fund demand alongside the halving cycle, rather than treating the price move as solely crypto-native.
Third-order effects
If regulated ETF access remains a durable source of demand, Bitcoin’s market cycles could become more closely linked to mainstream fund flows and US policy expectations.
The rapid sequence from the prior record to $100,000 also underscores that institutional access can amplify, not eliminate, the asset’s sensitivity to shifts in investor appetite and political narratives.
The trend: Bitcoin is moving from a recovery driven by anticipation of regulated access toward a market increasingly shaped by ETF distribution, supply-cycle events, and policy expectations.
Thanks Financial Times for standing by your criticism of bitcoin: — bitcoin is a negative-sum game — chronically inefficient as a means of exchange — compromised as a store of value — its price is an arbitrary hype gauge — Apology not needed, IMO. — www.ft.com/content/853…
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$100,000 is a psychological milestone. Every boomer is waking up to headlines tomorrow and then going to buy some bitcoin just in case they were wrong. Welcome to the next phase of the game.
$100,000 a Bitcoin doesn't just represent a price. It represents that the world is gradually acknowledging Bitcoin as the reserve currency of the future. It represents a rejection of the existing financial system. It represents financial freedom.
Long before Trump was elected president, crypto-minded investors believed a $100,000 price was inevitable. Here's how the largest and oldest cryptocurrency finally reached that milestone. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
WATCH: Bitcoin rose above $100,000 for the first time as the election of Republican Donald Trump as president of the United States spurred expectations that his administration will create a friendly regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies https://www.reuters.com/... [video]