• Bitcoin surpassed the $30,000 mark on Friday, experiencing a significant spike before retracing some of its gains. The positive sentiment surrounding a potential spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) contributed to the token's upward trajectory.
• At 9:45 a.m. in New York, Bitcoin was trading 4.5% higher at around $29,613, and it has recorded an overall gain of nearly 10% for the week.
• The recent surge was fueled by expectations of a spot bitcoin ETF, with the price briefly surging 10% after a false tweet from CoinTelegraph claiming that the Securities and Exchange Commission had approved BlackRock's application for such an ETF.
• While the SEC has repeatedly rejected applications for bitcoin spot ETFs in the past, the involvement of prominent players like BlackRock and Fidelity has raised optimism. Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital and a prominent crypto investor, predicts that a spot bitcoin ETF will be approved by 2024.
• In a recent letter addressed to Gary Gensler, a group of House Financial Services Committee members called on the SEC to reconsider its stance on blocking spot bitcoin ETF approval.
• The increasing mainstream interest in a spot bitcoin ETF is evident through the surge in search activity related to the term, as highlighted by Google Trends reaching a five-year high.