Price of Bitcoin surged on Monday following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Analysts predicted it would increase the likelihood of him winning the US presidential election.
At 09:25 GMT (11:25 Brussels time), Bitcoin was up 4.30% at $62,700.79.
In an incident at a Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump, the 78-year-old ex president and prospective White House candidate, suffered an ear injury and was withdrawn from the scene, with blood on his cheek, after a shooting that left one dead and two critically wounded in the crowd.
“Impressions of a strong, heroic Trump, bloody-faced with fist raised high and the American flag waving behind him as security agents rushed him away from the scene, dominated the weekend,” says Ipek Ozkardeskaya, analyst at Swissquote.
This image contrasts with that of Joe Biden, viewed as “weakened since the televised debate.”
The analyst believes the assassination attempt stirred up “fears of a deeply divided America overrun with political violence”, whilst also “raising the odds” of Trump winning the presidential election in November.
Bitcoin, declining since mid-June, soared after the incident.
“Trump is seen as a pro-cryptocurrency,” explains analyst Dan Coatsworth at AJ Bell.
“The theory that Trump is now a leading contender for the White House has investors seeking out assets likely to benefit from his return to power.”
