Bitcoin back above $11,000 in fourth day of gains

Bitcoin climbed for a fourth day, accelerating a rally that began when it bounced off a technical support level.

The biggest cryptocurrency rose 11 percent to $11,200 as of 11:51 a.m. in New York. That brought its increase to 57% since Feb. 6, when it began rebounding from a 200-day moving average, according to prices compiled by Bloomberg.

Bitcoin outperformed its closest rivals – Ripple, Ethereum and Litecoin – which gained less than 4%.

After a crash in January wiped about half a trillion dollars from the market caps of some 1,500 cryptocurrencies tracked by CoinMarketCap, many found a floor in mid-February.

That coincided with statements by many analysts and market watchdogs that seemed to offer tacit acceptance that the assets won’t be regulated out of existence.

Still, until regulators gain a better grip on them, digital currencies will struggle for wider acceptance in mainstream finance, according to S&P Global Ratings.

“The future success of cryptocurrencies will largely depend on the coordinated approach of global regulators and policymakers to regulate and enhance market participants’ confidence in these instruments,” the ratings firm said in a report published Monday.

Among the banks S&P rates, “exposure to cryptocurrencies appears to remain limited.”

Bitcoin last closed above $11,000 on Jan. 29.

Read: Reserve Bank confirms that it is looking to regulate Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies