Ominous omen? Bitcoin, the crypto currency that has exploded higher this year, has overtaken the also-buoyant Nasdaq Composite as the world’s most crowded trade, according to a closely watched survey released on Tuesday.
Some 26 per cent of investors polled by Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the first week of September said betting that bitcoin will rise is the most crowded trade of them all. That puts it ahead of 22 per cent voting for the Nasdaq and 21 per cent pointing to an anti-dollar wager. Nasdaq was pinned at about 30 per cent in the August survey.
Bitcoin has been garnering more mainstream appeal of late and has been catching the eye of risk-loving retail traders. It has surged from $968 to the dollar at the end of 2016 to above $5,000 last month, according to Coindesk data. It traded at $4,352.58 on Tuesday.
Notably, other crowded trades in recent history have not ended too well. The dollar was at the top for much of the start of this year, according to BofA Merrill. The currency has tumbled 10 per cent against six major trading partners since December 30.