Bitcoin climbed above $45,000 

Bitcoin climbed above $45,000 on Tuesday for the first time since April 2022, buoyed by optimism over the possible approval of an exchange-traded fund for the world's biggest cryptocurrency. This currency started the new year with strength.

Bitcoin hit a 21-month high of $45,922 and gained 156% last year, its best annual performance since 2020. It was last up 3.1% at $45,509, but still far from its November 2021 high of $69,000.

Ether, the second-largest digital currency, rose 1.2 percent to $2,386.50 on Tuesday, up 91 percent in 2023.

Cryptocurrency stocks mirror Bitcoin's price movements, with Riot Platforms, Marathon Digital, and CleanSpark up between 7% and 10% after falling on the last trading day of 2023.

MicroStrategy, a software company and bitcoin investor, rose 13.4%, and the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, which tracks bitcoin futures, gained 7.8%.