Bitcoin (BTC) prices have been volatile this week, swinging wildly between $59,980 (£48,222) and $64,500 on Friday alone ahead of the upcoming 'halving' event.
During the Bitcoin halving, which occurs approximately every four years, the number of Bitcoins rewarded to miners decreases, creating scarcity and potentially affecting the price of the cryptocurrency. It is expected to be completed on April 19th or 20th, and the block reward will decrease from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC per block.
Past halvings have spurred crypto asset price increases. Bitcoin prices in London on Friday morning had risen 5.3% in the past 24 hours.
read more: What is the Bitcoin halving and how does it affect the price?
The halving comes after the approval of multiple spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in January, which saw billions of dollars flowing into products launched by BlackRock (BLK), Fidelity, and others.
Oil prices have soared this week, becoming increasingly volatile due to rising tensions in the Middle East.
Brent crude oil and West Texas Intermediate fell in unison on Wednesday, but soared again on Friday as energy markets weighed on Iran's attack on Israel and Israeli retaliatory airstrikes late Thursday.
read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: European stocks fall, oil rises as Israel retaliates against Iran
According to Sky News, there have been no reports of damage or casualties in Iran so far.
Brent crude oil was trading at $87.90 per barrel on Friday, while crude oil was trading at $83.53 per barrel. As of 9 a.m., both were up about 1%.
Netflix (NFLX)
Netflix stock was trending down nearly 4.8% in premarket Friday after disappointing second-quarter revenue estimates.
Despite other positive numbers, including a 54% increase in operating profit in the first quarter and an increase of 9.3 million subscribers worldwide, management said “typical seasonality” led to a He said net additions will slow compared to the first quarter.
read more: Today's trending stocks
Meanwhile, operating margin rose seven points to 28%, and management raised its full-year margin outlook to 25%.
Gold also briefly hit a record high on Friday, soaring to $2,428 an ounce as geopolitical risks forced traders to flee their assets. It is currently hovering just above $2,404. The price of gold has risen from just over $2,000 this year alone due to multiple disputes.
Neil Wilson, Principal Market Analyst at Finalt, said: “While there is a clear geopolitical risk premium driving the market, a simple metric of M1 relative to terrestrial gold suggests that $2,400 is about average. I understand,” he said.
Take note: The Bitcoin ETF boom is not meant to imitate previous retail investor-driven rallies.crypto miles
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