Bitcoin even goes beyond Tesla's market cap for a short time as bulls suggest the upwards momentum is not done even at $40,000.

Bitcoin (BTC) returned to $40,000 on Jan. 8 as another price consolidation period ended characteristically briefly.

Chart

Cryptocurrency market overview. Source: Coin360

Data from Cointelegraph Markets, Coin360 and TradingView showed BTC/USD quickly rise to recapture the psycholigically significant price level during trading on Friday.

After a 9% fall following runs to all-time highs the day before, Bitcoin managed to stay lower only for a matter of hours before bullish momentum returned. Thereafter, the largest cryptocurrency not only matched its all-time highs, but delivered a new one — $40,087.

Chart

BTC/USD 1-minute candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView

"Seems we only dump to shake out the weak hands these days," a popular social media trader summarized on the day.

Big player market caps topple to BTC

Bitcoin also beat the market cap of Chinese giant Tencent and briefly passed "darling" tech firm Tesla as it rose to $41,000 per coin.

Data from CoinMarketCap and Companies Market Cap confirmed that on Jan. 7 Bitcoin almost entered the top five companies by market cap. 

Chart

Top companies by market cap as of Jan. 8, 2021. Source: Companies Market Cap.

As BTC/USD crossed the $40,000 mark, Bitcoin's market cap grew to unprecedented levels, topping out at $745 billion. A day later, following a correction, the figure retreated to $737 billion before regaining its earlier record.

At the same time, Tesla delivered a swift 7.3% daily gain, allowing it to outpace Bitcoin once again after losing its market cap prowess to the cryptocurrency for a short period. On Friday, the company was on $773 billion as Bitcoin once again sailed through $40,000.

Chart

Tencent stock (orange) vs. BTC/USD chart. Source: TradingView

A more decisive victory came over Chinese tech giant Tencent, however, which at $716 billion firmly bowed to Bitcoin's momentum. Previously, Tencent was also worth more than Tesla.

As Cointelegraph reported, Tesla had likewise outperformed against stocks and cryptocurrency in 2020, beating even Bitcoin's performance versus its March lows. A look at Tencent stock growth meanwhile underscores the slow pace of gains which characterized other stocks compared to cryptocurrency.

"There are still companies in the world that are worth more than #Bitcoin. Crazy," Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of Gemini exchange, commented on the phenomenon.


Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.

Join Telegram

Recommended content


Recommended Content

Editors’ Picks

Ethereum dips slightly amid Renzo depeg, BlackRock spot ETH ETF amendment

Ethereum dips slightly amid Renzo depeg, BlackRock spot ETH ETF amendment

Ethereum (ETH) suffered a brief decline on Wednesday afternoon despite increased accumulation from whales. This follows Ethereum restaking protocol Renzo restaked ETH (ezETH) crashing from its 1:1 peg with ETH and increased activities surrounding spot Ethereum ETFs.

More Ethereum News

Injective price weakness persists despite over 5.9 million INJ tokens burned

Injective price weakness persists despite over 5.9 million INJ tokens burned

Injective (INJ) price is trading with a bearish bias, stuck in the lower section of the market range. The bearish outlook abounds despite the network's deflationary efforts to pump the price. Coupled with broader market gloom, INJ token’s doomed days may not be over yet.

More Injective News

US intensifies battle against crypto privacy protocols following crackdown on Samourai Wallet

US intensifies battle against crypto privacy protocols following crackdown on Samourai Wallet

CEO Keonne Rodriguez and CTO William Lonergan of Samourai Wallet were arrested by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday and charged with $100 million in money laundering on a count and illegal money transmitting on another count. This move could see privacy-focused cryptocurrencies take a dip.

More Cryptocurrencies News

Near Protocol Price Prediction: NEAR fulfills targets but a 10% correction may be on the horizon

Near Protocol Price Prediction: NEAR fulfills targets but a 10% correction may be on the horizon

Near Protocol price has completed a 55% mean reversal from the bottom of the market range at $4.27. Amid growing bearish activity, NEAR could drop 10% to the $6.00 psychological level before a potential recovery. A break and close above $7.95 would invalidate the downleg thesis.

More Near Protocol News

Bitcoin: BTC post-halving rally could be partially priced in Premium

Bitcoin: BTC post-halving rally could be partially priced in

Bitcoin (BTC) price briefly slipped below the $60,000 level for the last three days, attracting buyers in this area as the fourth BTC halving is due in a few hours. Is the halving priced in for Bitcoin? Or will the pioneer crypto note more gains in the coming days? 

Read full analysis

BTC

ETH

XRP