Bitcoin crossed the $123,000 threshold Friday with a 3 percent surge that has investors and analysts watching closely to see if the cryptocurrency can maintain its momentum. The rally comes on the heels of a bullish projection from Standard Chartered, one of the world’s major banking institutions, which now sees the digital currency climbing to $135,000 in the near term. Geoff Kendrick, who leads digital assets research globally for Standard Chartered, pointed to several factors driving his optimistic outlook. The bank’s analysis suggests Bitcoin has broken away from historical patterns that typically see the ... (full story)