The
price
of
bitcoin
(BTC)
soared
more
than
6%
on
the
first
day
of
the
new
year,
as
the
leading
cryptocurrency
blew
past
$45,000
for
the
first
time
since
early
April
2022.
As
has
been
the
case
for
the
past
several
weeks,
anticipation
that
the
U.S.
Securities
and
Exchange
Commission
(SEC)
will
green
light
the
launch
of
a
number
of
spot
bitcoin
ETFs
appears
to
be
the
catalyst
for
the
move
higher.
A
Reuters
report
over
the
weekend
suggested
the
regulatory
agency
could
begin
notifying
ETF
sponsors
as
soon
as
Tuesday
that
their
applications
were
to
be
approved.