Bitcoin jumps as much as 6 percent to new six-month high

FILE PHOTO: Representation of the Bitcoin virtual currency standing on a PC motherboard is seen in this illustration picture, February 3, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) – Bitcoin jumped to a new six-month high on Friday in a move that traders said was the result of technical forces, with no immediate news catalysts sending the cryptocurrency higher.

Bitcoin climbed more than 6 percent to briefly break $5,700, its highest since Nov. 14. It was last at $5,680 on the Bitstamp exchange, taking gains this year for the original and biggest virtual currency to nearly 55 percent.

Other major cryptocurrencies such as ethereum and Rippleā€™s XRP, their prices often seen as correlated to bitcoin, also moved higher.

Reporting by Tom Wilson; Editing by Tommy Wilkes

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source: reuters.com