Manuel Augusto Moreno | Moment | Getty Images
Bitcoin rallied Tuesday evening, approaching its all-time high, as investors took in the results of the U.S. presidential election.
The price of the flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by more than 10% at $74,766.64, according to Coin Metrics. Its gains increased as Trump took an early lead in the Electoral College, even though none of the major swing states were called yet by NBC News.
Exchange operator Coinbase rose 3% in after hours trading, while MicroStrategy, advanced 4%.
Investors are expecting bitcoin trading to be choppy until a clear winner is declared. A victory for Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to bring risk of downside moves to the price of bitcoin, while traders anticipate a bump in price in the event of a win by former President Donald Trump.
Bitcoin rises above $71,000 on election night
"The election is having a massive influence on crypto," said Ryan Rasmussen, head of research at Bitwise Asset Management. "Expect bitcoin – and crypto more broadly – to be choppy in the days ahead … until we have definitive election results."
"If Trump wins, I believe we'll see new all-time highs," Rasmussen added. "If Harris wins, I expect a decent short-term sell-off, with prices taking a month or two to recover. But eventually, either way, I think we go higher."
Bitcoin is widely expected to rise to a new record in coming weeks. In the 2012, 2016 and 2020 elections, bitcoin saw returns of roughly 87%, 44% and 145% in the 90 days following election day, respectively. That's in part because election years happen to fall on Bitcoin halving years, when the supply of the cryptocurrency ratchets downward. Post election returns have also tended to align with major Federal Reserve policy shifts. This year, the market is looking forward to further interest rate reductions.
At just below $70,000, bitcoin has been trading at its fair value price heading into election day, according to CryptoQuant. That means that if the election proves to be a positive catalyst in the coming days, bitcoin can rally and is poised to establish a new record, CryptoQuant analyst Julio Moreno said.
"For now, everyone we've spoken to is keeping their powder dry," said James Davies, CEO at crypto futures and options trading platform Crypto Valley Exchange. "I've heard from numerous leading market makers and traders and can say with conviction that almost everyone is set up to react. They don't even know which way markets will go based on [the] result. There's likely to be massive short-term volatility whichever outcome."
This year's presidential election has been called the most important one in the crypto industry's lifetime. Many view a Harris win as a threat to crypto, the extent to which has been debated throughout this election cycle. Trump, on the other hand, is seen by many as a force for good in the industry after he presented himself earlier this year as the pro-crypto candidate and has been courting the industry more directly than Harris has.
Many voters are concerned about the state of the government deficit, which rose 8% in the 2024 fiscal year to $1.8 trillion, and increased tax cuts promised by both candidates. Bitcoin, like gold, is seen by many investors as a hedge against the potential for fiscal and monetary policy that combine to reduce the value of the dollar and lift inflation.
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