Bitcoin hit an all-time high (ATH) this year, largely thanks to the approval of spot ETFs in the United States and then Donald Trump's election victory. Meanwhile, some other assets have seen even more outstanding growth.
Based on data from CoinGecko and Nasdaq, the article below identifies the best-performing cryptocurrencies. To qualify, assets must have a starting market capitalization of at least $500 million, as of January 1st through December 27th.
Additionally, investments related to digital assets, including from large companies, have also achieved significant results.
Pepe: The Memecoin of the Year
One of the emerging meme tokens at the top of the market is Pepe (PEPE), launched last year. This token is inspired by the cartoon character Pepe the Frog, an internet icon later classified by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate symbol when used oddly by far-right groups.
Pepe reached a new ATH in December. This Ethereum-based token started the year with a market capitalization of $590.8 million, but by December 17, it had reached $9.4 billion — a staggering increase of 1,492%.
PEPE Price Chart | Source: Bitcoin Magazine
Pepe has gained attention due to its irrational price increase typically seen in memecoins and how it has enriched a select few traders. However, unlike many other assets in the bizarre memecoin space, Pepe continues to grow and is now the 25th-largest coin by market capitalization.
Sui (SUI): The King of Altcoins
Sui (SUI) is still a relatively new name in the market. This blockchain was launched in May 2023, developed by engineers who previously worked at Meta (formerly Facebook), and currently boasts a vibrant DeFi community thanks to its fast processing speed.
The SUI token, the native coin of the Sui blockchain, has exploded this year. In January, its market capitalization was only at $925 million. However, a 1,193% increase has brought this figure to nearly $13 billion in December. Currently, SUI is the 15th cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
SUI Price Chart | Source: Bitcoin Magazine
MicroStrategy (MSTR): The Winning Bitcoin Stock
Michael Saylor's software company has bet everything on Bitcoin this year and the results show this was a wise decision. The company's shares traded below $70 per share at the beginning of the year but have increased nearly fivefold, reaching $386 in December (+464%), surpassing all other stocks on Nasdaq, including Nvidia.
MicroStrategy was previously just a relatively low-profile software company. However, since 2020, the company has started buying Bitcoin and repositioned itself as a 'Bitcoin storage company'. This year, the Tyson, Virginia-based company has ramped up its purchasing activity, committing to provide investors with the best access to this asset.
Investors, including hedge funds seeking high volatility profits, have flocked to buy shares of the company.
Dogecoin
Originally created as a joke to mock the large number of altcoins appearing on the market, Dogecoin (DOGE) has now become the seventh-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
The market capitalization of Dogecoin has increased by 342% this year, reaching $46.9 billion. The growth momentum of Bitcoin has certainly contributed significantly to this success.
DOGE Price Chart | Source: Bitcoin Magazine
However, Dogecoin primarily owes its success to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. This richest person in the world has frequently posted about Dogecoin during 2020-2021 and continues to do so this year, amid speculation that it could be used on his platform X (formerly Twitter).
XRP: An Impressive Comeback
XRP has had an impressive year. This token supports transactions on the Ripple network, providing blockchain solutions for organizations in the field of cross-border payments.
The market capitalization of XRP soared and became the fourth-largest coin, increasing 286% from $34 billion to $125 billion. This month, XRP even briefly surpassed USDT to become the third-largest coin. Earlier this year, it was only in sixth place.
XRP Price Chart | Source: Bitcoin Magazine
XRP continues to attract public attention due to legal issues. In 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Ripple, accusing the company of selling unregistered securities to raise funds.
However, last year, Ripple achieved a partial victory against the SEC when the judge ruled that XRP transactions on exchanges for retail investors were not considered securities.
Nonetheless, the judge also confirmed that the sale of $728 million worth of tokens to institutional investors still constitutes the act of selling unregistered securities. This ruling is seen as a victory not only for Ripple but also for the entire crypto industry.
BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT)
Bitcoin has had an impressive year and the largest asset management company in the world has played a significant role in bringing this largest and oldest cryptocurrency to everyone through an ETF.
iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is a traditional investment tool, allowing investors to buy and sell shares that track the price of Bitcoin. These shares are traded on Nasdaq.
When it began trading in January, IBIT set records for trading volume and inflows. As of December, the fund managed over $50 billion in assets, achieving this milestone in just 228 days — faster than any ETF in history.
Although some other top asset managers also have active Bitcoin ETF funds, BlackRock's product remains the most successful.
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