(File photo)LONDON: Digital currency bitcoin took another leap higher on Thursday, rocketing above $7,000 (about 232,000 baht) for the first time, after a more than tenfold increase in its value over the past year. Bitcoin has seen eye-watering gains in recent months, having more than doubled in value in the past seven weeks alone. The latest rally was driven in large part by news earlier this week that the world's largest derivatives exchange operator CME Group is to launch bitcoin futures. "The move by such a well-known, established exchange throws open the doors for institutions to get into bitcoin," said analyst Arnaud Masset at Swissquote, a brokerage that offers bitcoin trading to retail clients. "It must be kept in mind that bitcoin’s exponential gains are not only phenomenal, but (also) somewhat frightening."

Source: Bangkok Post November 02, 2017 19:30 UTC