The price of bitcoin (BTC) topped $63,000 on Wednesday,

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the original cryptocurrency's first time above that level since the peak of the last bull market in November 2021.

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This week's giant rally has coincided with huge inflows into U.S.-traded spot ETFs

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with the new funds adding more than another 12,000 bitcoin on Tuesday after adding about 10,000 on Monday.

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And it comes ahead of the so-called bitcoin halving in April,

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an event that takes place every four years and usually accompanies strong gains as the issuance of new bitcoin slows.

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Bitcoin has been on a ferocious rally for months, but that has picked up this week.

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Just a few days ago, its price was below $51,000.

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It crossed $60,000 just a few hours before exceeding $63,000.

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At press time, bitcoin was up more than 10% over the past 24 hours

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The broader CoinDesk 20 Index, a benchmark of the biggest cryptocurrencies, had rallied 7.8% over the same time period.

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