Bitcoin Reaches A Record High
This year, Bitcoin hit a record high, partly because of the U.S. government’s acceptance of spot ETFs and partly because of Donald Trump’s election. These elements increased trust in Bitcoin and strengthened its standing as the biggest cryptocurrency globally. Despite making headlines, Bitcoin was outperformed by a number of other assets, indicating a busy year for cryptocurrency investors.
Source: Bitcoin
Determining the year’s best-performing digital currencies using information from CoinGecko and Nasdaq. Assets had to start with a market value of at least $500 million on January 1st and continue to perform through December 17th in order to be eligible. Both traders and investors were drawn.
Pepe: Meme Coin Champion
The best-performing meme coin of the year was Pepe (PEPE). Based on the internet cartoon Pepe the Frog, which later acquired contentious overtones, it was introduced last year. Pepe’s performance was extraordinary despite its history.
Pepe went from having a market value of simply $590.8 million around the beginning of the year to $9.4 billion by December. Due to its remarkable 1,492% rise, it became the one of the most frequently talked-about tokens throughout the crypto world. Not only was Pepe’s ascension ridiculously quick, but it was also remarkably long-lasting for a joke coin. It has established itself in the market by rising to the 28th position in terms of market capitalization.
Source: Pepe
Sui: Rising Altcoin Star
This year, Sui (SUI) swiftly rose to prominence as an altcoin. Created by former Meta programmers, the blockchain made its debut in May 2023. Its quick and effective network, which has appealed to both developers and users, resulted in a thriving DeFi community.
By December, SUI’s market value had increased by an astounding 1,193%, over $925 million at the start to almost $12 billion. It is now the eighteenth biggest crypto by market capitalization as a result of its explosive rise. Sui’s accomplishment is a reflection of its solid foundation and rising stature in the cutthroat cryptocurrency market.
MicroStrategy: Bitcoin Stock Leader
One of the best-performing stocks linked to Bitcoin was MicroStrategy (MSTR). Once a small software company, Michael Saylor’s company has grown to become a significant Bitcoin holder. The business increased its Bitcoin investments by double this year, solidifying its standing in the category of “Bitcoin treasury company.”
It was a really successful technique. The stock price of MicroStrategy was below $70 per share at the start of the year. By December, its value had increased 464% to $386. The performance of major Nasdaq companies, such as the computing behemoth Nvidia, was better. MicroStrategy attracted investors who wanted to gain exposure to Bitcoin without really owning the cryptocurrency.
Dogecoin: The Original Meme Coin
Dogecoin (DOGE) was leading the meme coin market. After starting out small, DOGE has developed into a significant player in the digital currency market. It is now worth $45.9 billion, which is 342% more than it was a year ago.
Source: Dogecoin
Dogecoin’s ongoing popularity was largely due to Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla. His frequent allusions to DOGE and speculation about its possible integration into his platform, X (previously Twitter), fueled investor excitement. Dogecoin has demonstrated its resilience in the cryptocurrency space by rising to the seventh-largest position in terms of market valuation.
XRP: A Resilient Comeback
Among the best-performing assets, XRP had an amazing year. After rising about $34 billion into $131.2 billion, its market value grew by 286%. XRP briefly surpassed Tether to become the third-largest digital currencies, but it ultimately ranked fourth.
In a partial court victory against the SEC, Ripple, the company that created XRP, benefited. A significant win for Ripple and the cryptocurrency industry came when a judge ruled that automated sales of XRP to private investors did not adhere to the regulations governing securities. Consequently, investor confidence rose and XRP began to gain traction once more.
BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust
An accolade is due to BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). Setting new benchmarks in the financial industry, the ETF made Bitcoin accessible to conventional investors. It attracted more than $50 billion in assets by December, setting records for both trading volume and inflows. In just 228 days, this milestone was reached—faster than any other ETF in history.
The success of BlackRock demonstrates how institutional interest in cryptocurrency is increasing. Even if other asset managers introduced Bitcoin ETFs as well, IBIT’s popularity and performance made it stand out. By making Bitcoin more accessible to regular investors, the ETF has strengthened its position within the financial system.
This year demonstrated how digital assets may yield extraordinary rewards. The cryptocurrency sector showed its durability and diversity with anything from institutional products like BlackRock’s ETF to meme coins like Pepe.
Every success story highlights a distinct facet of the cryptocurrency industry. Pepe and Dogecoin, two community-driven tokens, prospered because of their popularity and cultural significance. Sui and other technologically sophisticated projects attracted notice with their unique qualities. In the meantime, institutional offerings such as BlackRock’s ETF and MicroStrategy showed how cryptocurrency was becoming more and more accepted in conventional finance.
The post Pepe, Sui, Dogecoin, and More: The Standout Cryptos of 2024 appeared first on NFT Evening.