Bitcoin’s Record Rally Fueled by Growing Bets in Options Markets

Bitcoin set a fresh record on Sunday for the first time since mid-August, as the US government shutdown drove investors to safe-haven assets in a migration dubbed the “debasement trade.”

The largest digital asset climbed to $125,689 over the weekend, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It remained in touching distance of its all-time high on Monday in New York, changing hands at about $125,000.

Bitcoin’s advance coincided with a US government shutdown that began on Oct. 1 and has helped fuel demand for perceived safe-haven assets. The closure scuppered the planned publication of key economic data, including nonfarm payrolls. ...