Tokyo (AFP, Reuters)
The dollar steadied on Thursday as traders awaited more clarity on US President-elect Donald Trump's proposed policies amid an uncertain outlook for interest rates, while bitcoin sped towards $100,000 for the first time.
Bitcoin has been on a blistering rally in the past few weeks on speculation that Trump will create an easier regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies.
It hit a record high of $97,902 on Thursday, underpinned by a report Trump's social media company was in talks to buy crypto trading firm Bakkt. It was last up 2.75 percent at $97,070.
The digital currency reached $95,004.50 in early Asian trade, with observers expecting it to soon reach $100,000.
Traders have been piling into the unit since Trump was elected at the start of the month, pushing it up almost 40 percent since the vote.
The tycoon pledged on the campaign trail to make the United States the "bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world," and to put tech billionaire Elon Musk in charge of a wide-ranging audit of governmental waste.