New record: Bitcoin surpasses $1.6 trillion market cap

Supported by a new all-time high (ATH) market price above $81,000, the total market capitalization of Bitcoin crossed $1.6 trillion for the first time since its launch in 2009.

On Nov. 11, Bitcoin ( BTC ) reached a market capitalization of $1.62 trillion amid the ongoing bull market, concurrently bringing up the global crypto market cap to its former glory of $2.71 trillion, according to data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and CoinMarketCap.

Bitcoin market capitalization hits $1.62 trillion. Source: CoinMarketCap

The recent price appreciation also ensured that Bitcoin investors over the last 15 years maintained profitable portfolios, according to Blockchain.com. This finding implies that all unsold Bitcoin investments made in the previous 8,900 days have appreciated in value, as shown below.

The number of days holding Bitcoin has been profitable relative to the current price. Source: Blockchain.com

Bitcoin’s current circulating supply — the total number of tokens released to the market — stands at 19.8M BTC. If Bitcoin were at its maximum supply of 21 million BTC, the BTC market capitalization would have recorded a fully diluted value (FDV) of $1.7 trillion.

Some factors contributing to Bitcoin’s sustained growth are rising interest from institutional investors, the pro-crypto stance of United States President-elect Donald Trump and overall positive investor sentiment. 

Most recently, Bitcoin reached $1 trillion market capitalization in February 2024 , when BTC’s price surged above $51,000. Still, the asset struggled to retain the milestone amid the halving event.

Related: Bitcoin could end year at $58K as futures market ‘overheated’ — CryptoQuant

Bitcoin’s recent price surge above $80,000 has led many traders to say that “this is just the beginning” of the anticipated Bitcoin bull market. 

On Nov. 10, Bitcoin analyst Tuur Demeester urged Bitcoin investors to hold on to their investments and avoid short-term rash actions, like selling the holdings.

Glassnode lead analyst James Check, aka “Checkmatey” shared a similar sentiment, saying that “the distance” between the price and the 200 Day Moving Average (DMA) is “still cooled off.” As a result, he expects more room for Bitcoin’s price appreciation.

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