Bitcoin trades above $100,000 for the first time

In early December 2024 bitcoin traded above $100,000 for the first time, a round-number milestone reached in the weeks after the US election amid expectations of a friendlier US regulatory stance and continued ETF inflows.

At the time, the post-election advance was well established, spot-ETF products had been absorbing steady inflows through the year, and an incoming administration seen as crypto-friendly had nominated new agency leadership. No single catalyst marked the crossing itself.

The milestone was followed by heightened two-way volatility around the level, with the price crossing and re-crossing the threshold repeatedly in subsequent weeks rather than holding it cleanly.

Whether the level would act as a durable floor or a ceiling, how much of the advance rested on policy expectations that had yet to become policy, and how leveraged the move was.

Six figures became the reference frame for bitcoin coverage: subsequent cycles of advance and drawdown have been measured against the $100k line ever since.

Round-number levels shape how crypto sessions are narrated. When our recaps note BTC behaviour around major thresholds, this is the episode that established the current one.