Bitcoin Virtual Currency

MARKETS frequently froth and bubble, but the boom in bitcoin, a digital currency, is extraordinary. Although its price is down from an all-time high of $2,420 on May 24th, it has more than doubled in just two months. Anyone clever or lucky enough to have bought $1,000 of bitcoins in July 2010, when the price stood at $0.05, would...

The peer-to-peer digital currency Bitcoin made its debut in 2009 and with it ushered in a new era of cryptocurrency. Today, there are more than 500 different cryptocurrencies to choose from, but Bitcoin still enjoys the first mover advantage. While tax authorities, enforcement agencies, and regulators are still exploring the...

If you've ever wondered where Bitcoin comes from and how it goes into circulation, the answer is that it gets "mined" into existence. Bitcoin mining serves to both add transactions to the block chain and to release new Bitcoin. The mining process involves compiling recent transactions into blocks and trying to solve a computationally...

Investors should not be put off by the price volatility for cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum because these digital assets are still very new and offer nearly unparalleled returns. On Tuesday, ethereum's price fell below $200 for the first time since May 30; the cryptocurrency has fallen more than 50 percent since...

The value of bitcoin surged above $1,100 on Thursday as the digital unit continues a dizzying rise that made it the best-performing currency of 2016. Analysts have suggested a host of reasons for its appreciation, from global uncertainty and a strengthening dollar to demonetisation in India and capital controls in China. Here...