Bitcoin3 Reasons Bitcoin Is Booming Again, Price Nears $550Jeff John RobertsHere we go again.After a long stretch in which the price of bitcoin held stable, the world's most famous digital currency is on the move again—and this time it's heading straight up.On Tuesday, bitcoin was nosing towards $550 per unit, which is even higher than August 2014, when bitcoin prices reached almost $533.The recent move also ends a six-month period of relative tranquility in which prices mostly hovered between $350 and $450.If you carve out artificial highs from the three month Willie-bot/Gox bubble, #Bitcoin now flirting with all-time mkt cap high (vs 6-2-14).- Ryan Selkis (@twobitidiot) May 30, 2016It's also a remarkable improvement from a year ago when the currency was in the gutter.On June 1, 2015, one could buy a bitcoin for $226.To get the flavor the recent uptick, here is a screenshot from Coindesk's price index, showing prices in the last week:RelatedFortune 500Hackers Leaked ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Despite Receiving $50,000 RansomFortune 500Hackers Leaked ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Despite Receiving $50,000 RansomSo what's behind the recent surge?

It's hard to say for certain since the workings of bitcoin are often inscrutable to outsiders, while those who are in the know typically have an agenda to push the price up or down.That said, here are three explanations for the current price jump.Reason 1: Mining bitcoin is about to get more expensiveRecall that bitcoin is "mined" by people with specialized computers that solve cryptographic puzzles.(This process also serves to provide a record of bitcoin transactions.)In return for solving the puzzle, the miners receive 25 bitcoins.The nature of bitcoin is deflationary, however, meaning that fewer bitcoins are mined as time goes on.bitcoin-rolling-bot-phpCritically, at some point in the near future, the reward for miners will drop from 25 bitcoins to 12.5 bitcoins.awesome bitcoin miner(See this Bitcoin magazine article for more).It's unclear how this price cut, which will take place when bitcoin block 420,000 is mined (probably in the coming weeks), will affect the price of in the market.bitcoin-rolling-bot-php

But several news reports claim the recent surge in the price may be driven in part by the impending stress on the mining supply.Reason 2: Hype over a new digital currency is reigniting interest in bitcoinTech types have been buzzing about the emergence of Ethereum, a new blockchain technology that is winning big support from banks and venture capitalists.You can read a good explainer here, but the short version is that many think Ethereum is faster and more reliable than bitcoin, and could even supplant it as the pre-eminent digital currency.The emergence of a rival currency might, of course, seem bad for bitcoin.bitcoin missouriA Quartz article asks, however, if a price surge for ethereum might instead serve to rub of on bitcoin.bitcoin classified adsBut so far, there is little evidence that the price of the two currencies is strongly correlated.Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.Reason 3: China, China, ChinaThis seems the most convincing explanation for the bitcoin surge.bitcoin conference sf

According to the Wall Street Journal:Huobi and OKCoin, two Chinese exchanges, now collectively account for some 92% of global trading in bitcoin.The surge in bitcoin buying this weekend could be the latest sign of how Chinese investors are moving money between asset classes quickly in search of high returns.Goings-on in China have driven bitcoin volatility in the past, and it stands to reason that this is what's going on again.Meanwhile, comments on Reddit and Twitter from those in the know not only point to a Chinese investor effect, but also raise the possibility that the effect won't last.deposit bitcoin smsThis will occur if the bitcoin buying just turns out to be a way-station on the way to other assets:This.hd 4000 bitcoin miningMy concern is that big chunk of BTC buys is a short-term exit from CNY before dumping it for USD/GBP later.bitcoin gladiacoin

/OL3UmuUSoZ- Oleg Andreev (@oleganza) May 30, 2016So is the current price surge a sign that virtual currency is catching on at last?Or is this just another example of bitcoin's famous volatility in which greedy outsiders rush in to get rich, only to get burned when the price collapses again weeks or months later?We'll see soon enough.The following article represents the opinion of its author and does not constitute as investment advice.Bitcoin is a very volatile currency and you’re putting your capital at risk when investing in it (just like any other investment).2017 will be upon us soon enough, so it should come as no surprise that many bitcoin experts are looking ahead to the upcoming year.Given that bitcoin has built in features to encourage its price to rise over time, and given the growing acceptance of both non-government currencies and digital currencies, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.Understanding the anti-inflationary features of bitcoin is essential to understanding its price.

Bitcoin’s price back in May weighed in at “only” about $450.In the run up to the new supply for mined blocks being cut in half bitcoin’s price began to rise, breaking the $750 mark in mid June.Bitcoin’s price has declined a bit since, but is still about $600, far higher than it was earlier this year.The Bitcoin reward for mining won’t be halved until early July in 2020.Regardless, the bitcoin’s price will likely continue to trend up through 2017.This doesn’t mean that bitcoin won’t suffer setbacks, but the overall trend line will likely point up through 2017.Juniper Research, a respected research firm, predicts that bitcoin transactions will triple in 2017, reaching $92 billion dollars.Juniper notes several factors that should encourage the increased adoption of bitcoin in 2016 and through 2017, including the fragility of the Chinese economy, the Brexit vote and on-going issues in Europe, including high unemployment and bad public finances, and numerous other issues.As national governments continue to struggle and the global economy is exposed to high risks, it’s likely that an increasing number of people will look to bitcoin and other alternative currencies/investments.

Bitcoin has taken on the mantle of a “safe haven” investment, due to the fact that it is free from government interference, and that supply is limited.Governments can increase money supply at pretty much any whim, thereby decreasing the individual value currency units.Bitcoin’s supply, on the other hand, is already set and cannot be changed.If the global market grows more turbulent in the months ahead (which is quite likely), people may start ditching their traditional currencies in favor of bitcoin.This will lead to increased use of bitcoin, and as more people use the currency, demand for it will rise, and prices along with it.Daniel Masters, a co-founder at the multi-million dollar bitcoin hedge fund, predicts that bitcoin will hit $4,400 by the end of 2017.Masters believes that bitcoin adoption will continue to increase, and more companies will accept it as payment.This increased adoption will be propelled investments in blockchain technology.Alan Donohoe, the founder of the Bitcoin Association of Ireland,  made a more down to earth prediction earlier this year, suggesting that bitcoin will rise to about the 800 pound mark.

This would put bitcoin up above the $1,000 USD mark, a price point that bitcoin last approached (and in some cases broke) back in 2013.SpectroCoin CEO Vytautas Karalevicius argues that bitcoin transactions will increase 10 times.If this proves to be accurate, Karalevicius believes that bitcoin will rise to about $1800 to $1900.This is based on the correlation between bitcoin turnover and price that we’ve generally seen so far.At the beginning of the year an analyst with Wedbush Securities, Gil Luria, predicted a price of about $600 in 2016.As of right now, Luria’s prediction is pretty much spot on as bitcoin has been trending at about $600 dollars over the past several weeks.Luria believes that bitcoin will continue to grow as a transaction medium, another prediction that largely appears to be correct.For 2017 Luria predicts that bitcoin’s price will once again double.In fact, Luria believes that bitcoin’s price will essentially double all the way up until 2025, which would mark an increase of 4,500%!

If this prediction turns out to be correct, investors could generate massive returns.Vinny Lingham, the CEO of Civic, predicts that bitcoin could hit $3,000 in 2017.Lingham’s predictions are especially notable because he’s made a name for himself by being willing to state contrarian views, and has accurately predicted drops in bitcoin’s price.Now, however, Lingham believes that the remainder of 2016 and 2017 will be very good years for bitcoin.Lingham’s prediction comes down to three factors.First, venture capital investments in bitcoin and blockchain technology have now topped a billion dollars, and as more companies invest, use and acceptance of bitcoin will likely increase.Second, a “short squeeze” may be forming as people who have shorted bitcoin may be forced to buy bitcoins to repay their short bets.Third, bitcoin will continue to enjoy natural inflation due to its limited supply.Lingham also suggests that an arms race could breakout as governments decide to start to buy up bitcoin.

So far, most governments have shied away from bitcoin, but as adoption increases, they may get into the game.Go Many of the predictions made above are coming from people who have self-serving interests, and would benefit greatly if bitcoin suddenly increased dramatically.While many of the experts may be making honest predictions, we can’t rule out that some may simply be trying to blow hot air into the market to heat things up.In some more extreme cases, “experts” have predicted that bitcoin could hit $35,000 or more in the near future.This, however, seems unlikely.By making such huge predictions, however, people can stir up the pot and maybe bolster markets, all while ensuring that their name gets passed around.Most experts are predicting that bitcoin will break $1,000 in 2017.This would mean that bitcoin’s price may actually double from where it is trading at right now.Such returns would present an extraordinary amount of growth.Such returns are also very plausible.There are several key factors at play.

First, the global economy is on tenuous grounds, and bitcoin is a safe haven currency/asset.If the global economy does hit a rough patch, which is very plausible, then bitcoin and other safe haven assets and currencies will enjoy a boost.Second, many governments, including Japan and the Eurozone, have been engaging in quantitative easing.This means that they are increasing their money supply by creating money and buying up new assets.This increases inflation and encourages people to invest in things like bitcoin.Third, an increasing number of companies, and especially retailers, are taking interest in bitcoin.Others are also interesting in blockchain technology.As interest grows, adoption will spread, and as more people use bitcoin, prices should increase.So while $5,000 and other numbers are perhaps a bit overly optimistic, $1,000 seems very reasonable.And if a major event does unfold, such as a global recession, or a major company like Amazon announcing that it will accept bitcoin, who knows those $5,000 dollar predictions might not look so overzealous after all.