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When Bitcoin First Crossed $100,000: What Drove the December 2024 Milestone?

Bitcoin crossed $100,000 in December 2024, but the milestone was brief. Here’s when it happened, what factors were linked to the rally, and how ETP exposure differs from owning bitcoin.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Bitcoin first moved above $100,000 on the evening of December 4, 2024, but the milestone did not establish a lasting price floor. Contemporary coverage linked the rally to post-election optimism; the available evidence does not show that trade optimism specifically caused the crossing.

When did Bitcoin hit $100,000?

Coinbase Institutional said bitcoin convincingly broke above the psychological $100,000 level on December 4, 2024, during the U.S. evening. The Associated Press reported the milestone on December 5. In that report, AP cited CoinDesk’s figure of $103,713 as an intraday high—not a closing price—for the initial milestone coverage. Coinbase Institutional’s December 6, 2024 commentary and the Associated Press report of December 5, 2024 describe the event from different reporting dates.

Did Bitcoin stay above $100,000?

No. AP reported that bitcoin had moved back below $100,000 by Thursday afternoon, December 5, 2024. The crossing and the later retreat show why a round-number threshold should not be treated as a durable floor: a brief move above a level does not establish that the market will remain there.

Why did Bitcoin go above $100,000?

Contemporary reporting presented the move as part of a post-election rally, but the evidence does not establish a single cause. In a 2025 filing, WisdomTree described a sequence of influences on bitcoin’s 2024 rise: demand for spot exchange-traded products after launch, improving macroeconomic sentiment, anticipation of the April halving, the start of Federal Reserve rate easing, and rising expectations of a crypto-supportive administration. WisdomTree said more than half of the gains it measured from January 11 through December 31, 2024, came in the fourth quarter after the U.S. election. These are the issuer’s retrospective explanations of a market move, not proof that any one factor caused it.

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WisdomTree reported a 103% spot-price rally for bitcoin from January 11 through December 31, 2024. That period begins after January 1, so the figure is not a full calendar-year return. It is historical performance, not a current quote or forecast. WisdomTree’s 2025 Form 10-K gives the stated period and its account of the factors it associated with the rise.

Was the rally caused by trade optimism?

The available accounts support a connection to post-election and policy optimism, not a demonstrated trade-policy catalyst. Describing the crossing as caused by “trade optimism” would overstate what those sources establish. The phrase may capture one possible market interpretation, but it should not be presented as a confirmed explanation for the December 2024 move.

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Nor did the milestone settle whether cryptocurrency had entered a new era of mainstream adoption. AP’s coverage included optimistic industry views as well as caution that a round-number price alone does not demonstrate broad adoption. The $100,000 threshold was a notable market milestone, not proof that bitcoin had become a mainstream investment.

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How do bitcoin ETPs differ from owning bitcoin?

An exchange-traded product (ETP) referencing bitcoin is a security traded through an exchange; its investor holds ETP shares, not bitcoin itself. Direct ownership means holding bitcoin, typically through a wallet or a custodian. Those are different forms of exposure, with different trading and custody arrangements.

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Consideration Direct bitcoin ownership Bitcoin ETP exposure
What you hold Bitcoin itself. Shares in a security that references bitcoin, not bitcoin itself.
Where and how it trades Direct transactions take place through crypto-market services; the Federal Reserve note cited here does not specify a particular service or trading schedule. ETPs trade on regulated equity exchanges where listed. The Federal Reserve note does not specify product-specific trading hours.
Custody Bitcoin custody depends on the owner’s arrangements, such as using a wallet or a custodian. The product’s custody arrangements depend on its terms; the Federal Reserve’s category-level note does not establish terms for any specific product.
Eligibility and availability Depends on the relevant services and local rules. Depends on jurisdiction, the product, and access through a financial intermediary; the note does not establish current availability or eligibility for a particular investor.

The Federal Reserve said the SEC approved rule changes during 2024 that permitted regulated equity exchanges to list ETPs referencing bitcoin and ether. It estimated that crypto ETPs collectively—not bitcoin ETPs alone—had roughly $100 billion in market capitalization in late December 2024. That is a historical estimate, not a current market figure. The Federal Reserve note, published March 28, 2025, describes the product category and its market structure.

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