What is bitcoin and how can you buy it?

Everything you need to know about the volatile cryptocurrency 

Bitcoin
(Image credit: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images)

The Wild West

The price of bitcoin has returned to near record highs of around $64,000 on news that the US Securities and Exchange Commission has given the green light to “the first widely available investment funds” to track the cryptocurrency, said Kellie Mejdrich on Politico. Three bitcoin futures exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are to go live this month, including one pitched by ProShares, which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. This is “a landmark moment” for the booming crypto market: the new funds address growing demand from mainstream investors for exposure to an asset that has risen 440% in a year. But bitcoin’s entry into the investment establishment is fraught with controversy. SEC chair Gary Gensler, who once described the crypto market as the “Wild West”, is now under fire from investor advocates for exposing individuals to financial danger.

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