Bitcoin trades above $ 5,000 for first time ever

London (Reuters): Bitcoin smashed through the $ 5,000 barrier for the first time ever on Thursday, jumping as much as 7% to chalk up its biggest daily rise in over two weeks.

Bitcoin, the original and still the biggest cryptocurrency, has been on a tear recently, rallying nearly 75% in barely a month.

It has chalked up a more than fivefold increase in price since the start of the year.