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Bitcoin price has been skyrocketing, before this weekend’s cyber attack hiccup, but prices are again on the move upward. How much is a Bitcoin really worth right now? American investors are seeing a true value of more than 70% higher than the market rate this week.
As Bitcoin does not have any real level of mainstream investor access like an ETF, even though that is still a possibility, the next best thing right now is shares in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, or GBTC, according to sources. The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust is one of the very few ways to access Bitcoin through a standard brokerage account.
In the case of Bitcoin, its price has moved up about 50% over the last month, and the GBTC has nearly doubled. The extra buying and demand for exposure have pushed a premium onto shares of GBTC. To calculate the premium that you may be paying, you have to take your GBTC shares and times them by about 10.75. According to the company’s website, each share is about 0.093 BTC, as of late last month.
CLOSE TO $3000 BITCOIN VALUE
Just six weeks ago, shares were trading at half the price they are now. April 1st, 2017, GBTC shares were selling for $110 USD, and now they closing at $220, and have peaked at $265 each during inter-day trading. When you multiply these share values times 10.75, you are much closer to $3000 USD than you are the current market prices in the $1700-1800 range. $265 in GBTC shares converts to $2849 in underlying asset value.
This level of a premium price, in the 70% range, means there is a bubble forming, at least in this sector of the over-the-counter market, and now is not the time to buy. Even in markets like India, where Bitcoin currency is high in demand, it is selling at just over 20% over market. It may be advisable to wait until the market settles, which may not be until next month.
Considering these investment market realities, it is not hard to understand the mainstream interest in a future Bitcoin ETF to provide some level of competition. This is also a good indicator that the current price is legit, and a major, sustained Bitcoin price drop is not in the cards anytime soon, at least not in the U.S. market.
David Ogden
Entrepreneur
