Bitcoin surpasses $60.000.

According to the CNBCBitcoin rose 6% to $60.688 and is nearing its all-time high of $68.982,20.

This past week, the cryptocurrency has surged by more than 18% after stagnating the previous week. Since the beginning of the year, Bitcoin has increased by more than 40%.

Antoni Trenchev, co-founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Nexo, said that Bitcoin's price may encounter some resistance as it approaches the $69.000 mark, but breaking above $60.000 would stimulate investor interest, especially from retail investors.

According to JPMorgan, investor interest in cryptocurrencies has recovered this month after stagnating in January.

Investors expect Bitcoin to set new record highs this year after the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs, making the asset class more accessible to institutional investors.

In addition, the upcoming Bitcoin network halving event has historically often set the stage for a strong price surge in the following months. This event is expected to take place in April 2024.

Ryan Rasmussen, an analyst at Bitwise Asset Management, believes that thanks to the introduction of Bitcoin ETFs, demand for Bitcoin is exceeding supply.

"We've only seen the tip of the iceberg," Rasmussen said, referring to the impact of ETFs. "Institutional capital continues to flow into Bitcoin ETFs, and I predict demand will increase even further."

This development also boosted Bitcoin-related stocks. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase saw its shares rise more than 5%, while Bitcoin trust MicroStrategy's shares surged 8%. Prominent mining companies CleanSpark and Marathon Digital also rose more than 4%, respectively.