Cryptocurrencies extend gains; Bitcoin tops $68,000

Bitcoin climbed 0.85% to $68,375.35

Cryptocurrencies rose in Wednesday trading, as optimism spread across markets over the potential continuation of the positive momentum seen in March, despite quarterly losses in the first quarter, during which Bitcoin lost 22% of its value and Ethereum nearly 29%.

Bitcoin climbed 0.85% to $68,375.35 as of 12:24 p.m. Makkah time, accounting for 58.1% of the total cryptocurrency market value.

Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, rose 1.55% to $2,128.13, while XRP gained about 0.55% to $1.3506.

Bitcoin ended March up 1.8%, snapping a five-month streak of sharp declines that had erased nearly 44% of the world’s largest cryptocurrency’s market value, according to CoinMarketCap.