Bitcoin surged above the $51,000 level on Wednesday for the first time. The red-hot cryptocurrency hit a fresh record price of $51,715 at around 4:50 a.m. ET, according to data from Coin Metrics. It was later trading 5% higher at $51,024. Bitcoin was created in 2009, not long after the global financial crisis. It has gone from a protest against the banking system to something of a “digital gold” that is beginning to catch on with mainstream investors. On Wall Street, major investment banks appear to be warming to bitcoin. JPMorgan said recently it’s looking seriously at the asset class, and Goldman Sachs has also ... (full story)