Bitcoin promises to be digital gold: safe, valuable and rare. That could explain much of the cryptocurrency’s rally over the past year. Like the yellow-coloured metal, the price of bitcoin is supposed to surge as investors take fright at the possibility of inflation from central banks printing money or, for some, the potential collapse of society in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and civil disturbance following the US election. In those circumstances the two scarce assets are supposed to retain their value while others’ disappears.

Unfortunately, like gold, bitcoin’s status as a safe haven is more theoretical than anything else. Rather than stability it offers investors volatility and a chance to speculate on the market’s sentiment towards the currency. The recent rise in the cryptocurrency’s valuation is no different. Investors looking for a safe place to keep their wealth should look elsewhere.

The price of bitcoin in terms of the US dollar hit a three-year high of close to $18,000 this week, representing a nearly 250 per cent rise since January. Bitcoin’s price has spiked before: this year’s increase in the cryptocurrency’s price has seen it almost touch levels it reached in 2017. That peak did not last, however, and was followed by a deep crash and calls for tighter regulation.