随着数字货币公司上市，比特币创下历史新高

Bitcoin rose to record highs on Wednesday as a major digital currency company went public on America's Nasdaq stock exchange.

Going public means a company sells shares of stock to raise money. It also means that the owner of the company must now answer to those who bought the stock.

At one point before the listing of the company, Coinbase, the value of bitcoin rose above $64,000. Coinbase is the largest U.S. exchange for digital currency, also known as cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is the world's biggest form of cryptocurrency.

The value of bitcoin has gone up and down wildly since it was created in 2009 by a mysterious developer or group that went by the name Satoshi Nakamoto. This year, the digital currency reached another major record in early January when it hit $40,000.

Experts say the continued climb of bitcoin in recent months was partly fueled by decisions by some major U.S. companies to invest in bitcoin. Those moves -- along with the listing of Coinbase on the Nasdaq -- have helped bring cryptocurrencies more into the U.S. financial mainstream¹, the experts say.

One company supporting bitcoin is American electric carmaker Tesla. The company announced in February it had invested about $1.5 billion in the digital currency. Tesla said it planned to accept bitcoin as payment for its cars and other products.

Another major buyer was financial services company Square, which said in February it had invested $170 million dollars in bitcoin. Square operates the Cash App payment service. PayPal and Visa also recently said they would permit users to make payments with cryptocurrencies.

Even major American investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have signaled interest in getting involved in in digital currencies in the future.

Financial companies had long warned against such investments because of the high risks and unpredictability linked to them. But the listing of Coinbase on the Nasdaq is seen by some financial experts as the biggest milestone² yet for cryptocurrencies.

William Cong is an associate professor of finance at Cornell University's SC Johnson College of Business. He told Reuters that the Coinbase listing "is significant in that it marks the growth of the industry and its acceptance into mainstream business."

Michael Hewson, an analyst³ at CMC Markets in Britain, told the French press agency AFP he thinks digital currencies have had a good year. "With bitcoin already having more than doubled in the last six months and cryptocurrencies becoming more popular with more mainstream investors⁴, it can certainly be argued that crypto has become more mainstream in the past 12 months," he said.

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote earlier this week that the Coinbase listing could be "a watershed⁵ event for the crypto industry."

The listing is by far the biggest yet of a cryptocurrency company. The company chose a direct listing on Nasdaq. Such a listing does not permit the company to raise new funds. But it does offer current shareholders⁶ – founders⁷, employees and early investors – the chance to sell their stocks on the market.

San Francisco-based Coinbase was founded in 2012 and says it has 56 million users worldwide. It permits users to buy and sell bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It estimated last week it would earn $1.8 billion during the first quarter of 2021. During all of 2020, the company reported earnings⁸ of $1.3 billion.

Wall Street experts have projected Coinbase could be valued at between $65 to $100 billion. The Nasdaq gave the company a target price of $250 a share.

Some industry analysts⁹, however, think Coinbase has been highly overvalued. David Trainer, CEO of investment research firm New Constructs, told the Associated Press the company has "little-to-no-chance" of meeting its profit expectations. He added that Coinbase had a "ridiculously high valuation." Last week, Trainer estimated a valuation closer to $18.9 billion, arguing that Coinbase will face more competition as the cryptocurrency market grows.

Words in This Story

digital – adj. related to computer technology, especially the internet

mainstream – adj. the beliefs or way of living accepted by most people

milestone – n. an important point in the progress or development of something

significant – adj. important or notable

analyst – n. a person who studies or analyzes¹⁰ something

watershed – n. a moment in time when important change happens

ridiculous – adj. extremely silly or unreasonable

1 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

2 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

6 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

7 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

8 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 analyzes   

v.分析( analyze的第三人称单数 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• This approach analyzes management by studying experience usually through cases. 这个学派通常从实例获得经验，用以分析管理。 来自辞典例句
• The econometrician analyzes statistical data. 经济计量学者要分析统计材料。 来自辞典例句