Crypto
Bitcoin price chart
This page shows BTC/USD, the price of one bitcoin in US dollars, quoted as a spot price on the Bitstamp exchange.
Bitcoin trades continuously, around the clock, on many exchanges worldwide, so the price shown here is Bitstamp's own order book rather than a single official reference rate for the whole market.
Bitcoin / US Dollar chart
BITSTAMP:BTCUSDSpot price on the Bitstamp exchange.
Charts by TradingView. Switch instrument from the market charts hub or the related charts below — each one has its own page.
At a glance
| Full name | Bitcoin |
|---|---|
| Ticker/pair | BTC/USD |
| TradingView symbol | BITSTAMP:BTCUSD |
| Instrument type | Spot pair on the Bitstamp exchange |
| Reference market | Bitstamp |
| Quotation currency | US dollar |
| Market schedule | Continuous, 24/7 including weekends |
| Coverage | Global bitcoin spot market, as reflected on Bitstamp |
| Status | Spot (not a futures, ETF or CFD) |
| Data delay | Bitstamp's feed is typically real-time on TradingView, but prices differ slightly between exchanges |
What is Bitcoin / US Dollar?
Bitcoin is a decentralised digital asset and payment network launched in 2009. New bitcoin is issued through a proof-of-work mining process, and the total supply is fixed by protocol rules at 21 million coins, with issuance halving roughly every four years.
No single company or government controls bitcoin; transactions are verified by a distributed network of miners and recorded on a public ledger (the blockchain). BTC/USD is simply the market price at which participants are willing to exchange bitcoin for US dollars on a given exchange.
How to read this chart
A rising line means the US dollar price of one bitcoin is increasing; a falling line means it is decreasing. Because trading never stops, the chart has no daily open or close in the way traditional exchange-listed instruments do, and there are no weekend gaps.
Prices can differ meaningfully between exchanges owing to fragmented liquidity, geographic capital controls and differing fee structures, so a chart based on one exchange (here, Bitstamp) will not exactly match another. Bitcoin has historically shown large short-term price swings, so short intervals can look far more volatile than longer-term trends.
What moves it?
- Halving schedule
- Bitcoin's issuance rate halves approximately every four years, reducing the pace at which new supply reaches the market and historically a focal point for investor attention.
- Spot-ETF and institutional flows
- The launch of regulated spot bitcoin exchange-traded products in several jurisdictions has opened a channel for institutional and retail flows that previously required holding bitcoin directly.
- US real rates and dollar liquidity
- As a widely held speculative and store-of-value asset, bitcoin has shown sensitivity to US monetary policy, real interest rates and broader dollar liquidity conditions.
- Exchange and regulatory events
- Exchange outages, security incidents and regulatory actions in major jurisdictions can move prices quickly given the fragmented and lightly regulated nature of crypto trading venues.
- Network and macro risk sentiment
- Bitcoin often trades as a barometer of broader risk appetite, moving alongside shifts in investor willingness to hold speculative assets.
Why businesses and investors monitor it
Companies that hold bitcoin on their balance sheet, accept it as payment, or serve crypto-active clients track BTC/USD for treasury and accounting purposes. Its price is also widely used as an indicator of speculative risk appetite across markets.
This page is informational and does not constitute investment advice; bitcoin's price history includes large and rapid moves in both directions.
Bitcoin vs the total crypto market
Bitcoin's price reflects a single asset, while the total crypto market capitalisation aggregates the value of all tracked cryptoassets. Comparing the two shows how much of the sector's overall value movement is attributable to bitcoin specifically, a metric often referred to as bitcoin dominance.
When bitcoin rises faster than the total market, its dominance increases; when other cryptoassets outperform bitcoin, dominance falls even if bitcoin's own price is also rising.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the bitcoin price differ between exchanges?
Each exchange has its own order book, so prices can diverge owing to differences in liquidity, regional demand, fees and capital controls. Arbitrage tends to keep major exchanges close, but not identical.
Does bitcoin trade on weekends?
Yes. Bitcoin exchanges operate continuously, so there are no weekend closures or gaps in the way there are for traditional stock exchanges.
What is the maximum bitcoin supply?
The bitcoin protocol caps total issuance at 21 million coins, reached gradually through mining rewards that halve roughly every four years.
Is this page showing a spot price or a derivative?
It shows a spot price — the price for immediate exchange of bitcoin for US dollars on Bitstamp — not a futures contract or CFD.
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Sources
Written and maintained by the StandardsDesk editorial team. Last reviewed 2026-08-06. The explanatory text on this page is evergreen: it is not updated with market movements, and no current price or level is quoted anywhere outside the chart.
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