Bitcoin bulls runs wild as cryptocurrency surges above $3,000

Provided by CNBC

Bitcoin (BTC=-USS)traded above $3,000 for the first time on Sunday, continuing this year's massive surge and helped by increased demand from Asia-based investors.

FactSet Research Systems Inc

After trading in a range for the last week, bitcoin climbed to an all-time high Sunday of $3,012.05, according to CoinDesk.

On Chinese exchanges such as BTCC, the currency traded about $40 to $60 above that price. Last week, several major Chinese bitcoin exchanges allowed customers to resume withdrawals of the cryptocurrency, after halting withdrawals in early February amid scrutiny from the People's Bank of China.

The digital currency has had a stellar year, rising nearly 200 percent and easily outperforming stock market benchmarks like the S&P 500 (.SPX) Index and the Nasdaq composite (.IXIC) in 2017. The cryptocurrency has now more than tripled in value since trading at $968 on Dec. 31, and has gained nearly 30 percent in June alone.

Bitcoin in 2017

Source: FactSet

Brian Kelly, CEO and founder of BKCM and a CNBC contributor, told CNBC this week that the cryptocurrency was "in the first years of what is likely to be a multi-year bull market. Of course there will be corrections and even crashes along the way, but bitcoin is here to stay."

A contributing factor to bitcoin's recent surge is growing demand from Asia. In addition to the China factor, Japanese interest has risen ever since the government approved bitcoin as a legal payment method in April.

Investors also plowed more money into the currency after Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari commented on the blockchain technology behind bitcoin, saying it "has more potential than bitcoin itself."

CNBC's Fred Imbert contributed to this report.

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Bitcoin bulls runs wild as cryptocurrency surges above $3,000