In a year that global economic activity was impacted by U.S.-China trade tensions, Brexit, and the coronavirus pandemic that swept across the world, Bitcoin emerged as a true store of digital value. The cryptocurrency rose from lows of below $5,000 in March and closed just below $30,000 by December 2020. The rally continued into 2021, with the coin printing an all-time high of circa $42,000 in January, at the time of writing. This scarcity has always fuelled the demand for Bitcoin, and it is one of the key reasons why its value started at a measly $0.003 in its early days and exploded to above 5-digits within a few years. The retail investing public took notice of Bitcoin in 2017 when it quickly accelerated above $10,000 and managed to print a then-high of just below $20,000. The 2017 massive rally was driven by increasing demand from retail traders who were keen not to miss out on the abnormal price gains which the primary cryptocurrency continually posted. HOD -\u0259l; often written HODL) is slang in the cryptocurrency community for holding a cryptocurrency rather than selling it.<\/p>\n