<p>Bitcoin struck a record high Wednesday, a day after its foray onto Wall Street, as stocks largely held steady as investors tracked earnings and economic data.</p>.<p>The dollar was mixed against its main rivals, while oil prices retreated.</p>.<p>Bitcoin briefly soared to above $65,000, a day after a financial instrument dedicated to the unit made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.</p>.<p>The Bitcoin Strategy ETF, a new exchange-traded fund linked to bitcoin futures rather than directly to the currency, rose nearly five percent in its first day of trading on Tuesday.</p>.<p>The fund should be a more accessible vehicle for mainstream investors, and could therefore boost trading in the cryptocurrency.</p>.<p>"There is a possibility that the impact of the ETF's launch might already be priced in, and we could see some 'buy-the-rumour, sell-the-fact' type of reaction in the days ahead," noted ThinkMarkets analyst Fawad Razaqzada.</p>.<p>Known for its volatility, bitcoin could also "easily break the record high, before potentially climbing towards $70,000... which is the next psychological hurdle", he added.</p>.<p>Asian stock markets mostly closed higher Wednesday.</p>.<p>Hong Kong led the gains, jumping more than one percent, with market heavyweight Alibaba rallying following reports that founder Jack Ma was on a trip to Europe -- fanning hopes that China's long-running crackdown on the firm may have run its course.</p>.<p>European stocks were near the break even line in afternoon trading, with Paris up marginally, and London and Frankfurt dipping.</p>.<p>Wall Street's main indices opened with modest gains.</p>.<p>Strong profit reports from big-name firms over the past week have reinforced optimism that the corporate sector is, for now, weathering a recent slowdown in economic growth, supply chain issues and surging inflation, providing a much-needed boost to worried traders.</p>.<p>"So far, a trend among consumer staple goods appears to be developing as a positive theme, which means these important goods are at least getting to market," said market analyst JJ Kinahan at TD Ameritrade.</p>.<p>Johnson & Johnson, United Airlines and Netflix were the latest positives from the reporting season, adding to top Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley last week.</p>.<p>Rising prices and the end of central bank largesse continued to cast a shadow however.</p>.<p>Concerns about surging inflation running out of control have forced several central banks to hike interest rates already -- with others to soon follow -- and the prospect of an end to the era of cheap cash has caused an 18-month equity rally to stutter.</p>.<p>British annual inflation cooled slightly in September, official data showed Wednesday, remaining close to a nine-year peak that still risks a UK interest rate rise next month.</p>.<p>Despite the headline figure easing, analysts still expect the Bank of England to next month raise its main interest rate from a record-low level of 0.1 percent.</p>.<p>While some countries have already started the tightening cycle, all eyes are on the Fed owing to its oversized role in the global economy.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
<p>Bitcoin struck a record high Wednesday, a day after its foray onto Wall Street, as stocks largely held steady as investors tracked earnings and economic data.</p>.<p>The dollar was mixed against its main rivals, while oil prices retreated.</p>.<p>Bitcoin briefly soared to above $65,000, a day after a financial instrument dedicated to the unit made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.</p>.<p>The Bitcoin Strategy ETF, a new exchange-traded fund linked to bitcoin futures rather than directly to the currency, rose nearly five percent in its first day of trading on Tuesday.</p>.<p>The fund should be a more accessible vehicle for mainstream investors, and could therefore boost trading in the cryptocurrency.</p>.<p>"There is a possibility that the impact of the ETF's launch might already be priced in, and we could see some 'buy-the-rumour, sell-the-fact' type of reaction in the days ahead," noted ThinkMarkets analyst Fawad Razaqzada.</p>.<p>Known for its volatility, bitcoin could also "easily break the record high, before potentially climbing towards $70,000... which is the next psychological hurdle", he added.</p>.<p>Asian stock markets mostly closed higher Wednesday.</p>.<p>Hong Kong led the gains, jumping more than one percent, with market heavyweight Alibaba rallying following reports that founder Jack Ma was on a trip to Europe -- fanning hopes that China's long-running crackdown on the firm may have run its course.</p>.<p>European stocks were near the break even line in afternoon trading, with Paris up marginally, and London and Frankfurt dipping.</p>.<p>Wall Street's main indices opened with modest gains.</p>.<p>Strong profit reports from big-name firms over the past week have reinforced optimism that the corporate sector is, for now, weathering a recent slowdown in economic growth, supply chain issues and surging inflation, providing a much-needed boost to worried traders.</p>.<p>"So far, a trend among consumer staple goods appears to be developing as a positive theme, which means these important goods are at least getting to market," said market analyst JJ Kinahan at TD Ameritrade.</p>.<p>Johnson & Johnson, United Airlines and Netflix were the latest positives from the reporting season, adding to top Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley last week.</p>.<p>Rising prices and the end of central bank largesse continued to cast a shadow however.</p>.<p>Concerns about surging inflation running out of control have forced several central banks to hike interest rates already -- with others to soon follow -- and the prospect of an end to the era of cheap cash has caused an 18-month equity rally to stutter.</p>.<p>British annual inflation cooled slightly in September, official data showed Wednesday, remaining close to a nine-year peak that still risks a UK interest rate rise next month.</p>.<p>Despite the headline figure easing, analysts still expect the Bank of England to next month raise its main interest rate from a record-low level of 0.1 percent.</p>.<p>While some countries have already started the tightening cycle, all eyes are on the Fed owing to its oversized role in the global economy.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>